Centre Sells 4,000 Tonnes of Buffer Onions Across 17 Cities at ₹35/kg to Cool Rising Prices

The central government has sold approximately 4,000 tonnes of onions from its buffer stock across 17 cities during the first ten days of a subsidised sale launched to curb rising food prices. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare announced that the government has built a total buffer reserve of 1.21 lakh tonnes for 2026 through two central agencies: the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED). The stored onions are being sold directly to consumers at a discounted rate of ₹35 per kilogram through government stores, mobile vans, and fair-price cooperatives in price-sensitive regions, including Delhi-NCR, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Odisha.

To move large quantities quickly from producing states to major consuming hubs, the government is using road trucks alongside a dedicated rail freight service named the "Kanda Express". Bulk train shipments have already reached Delhi and Chennai, with a third freight rake currently being loaded for dispatch to Guwahati. NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra noted that the federation alone has sold 1,500 tonnes so far, with sorting, grading, and packaging managed by the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC). Authorities noted that the subsidised release has helped lower retail prices by ₹2 to ₹3 per kilogram in several local markets.

Despite the intervention, retail onion prices remain high across the country because untimely rains earlier this year damaged stored supplies from the rabi (winter-harvested) crop. The national average retail price recently stood at ₹50.79 per kilogram, with market rates recorded at ₹58 in Delhi, ₹53 in Mumbai, ₹63 in Chennai, and ₹40 in Ranchi, against an average wholesale price of ₹42.79. Government officials expect prices to cool down significantly once fresh supplies from the upcoming kharif (monsoon) crop begin arriving in markets starting in mid-October.