Onion Crisis

Swiggy Instamart launched a flash sale on onions for Rs 39/kg in Delhi -NCR after a viral Reddit post where a customer humorously requested extra onions due to soaring prices

Govt starts discounted onion sale at Rs 35/kg in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai

In 2023, the average rate at which the Centre procured onions from Maharashtra was Rs 16.93 per kg. This year, it is procuring at around Rs 29.5 per kg via direct benefit transfer

Due to trader hoarding and farmers' reluctance to sell their stock, the government has only achieved less than 10 per cent of its 500,000-tonne onion buffer stock target

Traders have started hoarding stocks in anticipation that the government may relax its measures to control prices

The world's biggest exporter of onions is expected to see output fall by 16 per cent in 2023-24 amid lower yields

Directorate General of Foreign Trade says India has approved 79,160 tonnes of onions for export, overriding a ban imposed in December

India had previously imposed a minimum export price of $800 per metric ton, until Dec. 31, 2023, to discourage exports, in an effort to curb surging local prices

The export price before the duty was levied was somewhere around $320 per tonne free-on-board (around Rs 2,650 per quintal)

The onion price spikes in Delhi NCR, the price is between Rs 70 to 80 per kg in the retail market. In other parts of the country, the price ranges between Rs 41 to 69 per kg

Onion prices remained at a high level in the national capital on Monday and was ruling at an average price of Rs 78 per kilogram in the retail market, according to government data. However, the all-India average price of onion was at around Rs 50.35 per kg while the maximum rate was Rs 83 per kg and modal price was at Rs 60 per kg, as per the data compiled by the Department of Consumer Affairs. The minimum rate is Rs 17 per kg. Local vendors are selling onions at Rs 80 per kg while the key kitchen item is available at Rs 75 per kg on e-commerce portals Bigbasket and Otipy. On Saturday, the Centre imposed a Minimum Export Price (MEP) of USD 800 per tonne on onion exports till December 31 to boost availability of the vegetable in the domestic market. The USD 800 per tonne MEP translates into about Rs 67 per kg. The MEP is there for all varieties of onion except Bangalore Rose and Krishnapuram onions, and for cut, sliced or broken in powder forms. Besides, the Centre has announced t

The total sown area for onion in Maharashtra has dropped by 36% which has brought down the supply

Trade sources suggest an immediate price hike of Rs 2 per kilogram due to the abrupt disruption in supplies

The National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) on Saturday said it has purchased 2,826 tonnes of onion at Rs 2,410 per quintal directly from farmers in the last four days mostly from Maharashtra as it resumed procurement of the bulb for a higher buffer stock. The government enhanced the onion buffer stock target from 3 lakh tonnes to 5 lakh tonnes this year. Two cooperatives, NCCF and NAFED, have been mandated to procure 1 lakh tonnes each directly from farmers at Rs 2,410 per quintal to avoid panic selling amid the imposition of an export curb to control domestic prices. The two cooperatives are also disposing of the government's buffer stock of onion in both wholesale and retail markets to control the rising retail prices of onion, which at present are ruling up to Rs 60 per kg depending on the quality in Delhi and other cities. Speaking with PTI, NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra said the cooperative commenced the procurement directly from farmers on ..

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the Centre has decided to purchase two lakh metric tonnes of onion at the rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal, and expressed hope this will provide relief to producers of the key kitchen staple in the state. He also said special procurement centres will be set up in Nashik and Ahmednagar in the state. The announcement comes amid protests by farmers and traders against the Centre's decision to impose 40 per cent export duty on onions to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market. The Finance Ministry through a notification on August 19 imposed the 40 per cent export duty on onions till December 31, 2023. Fadnavis, who is currently on a visit to Japan, in a post on X said, I spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal regarding the onion issue. The Union government would procure two lakh metric tonnes of onion at the rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal. There will be special .

Though India has a huge stock of onions, the high proportion of bad-quality onions due to excessive summer heat this year had led to an increase in the prices of good-quality onions

The Maharashtra government on Monday announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 300 per quintal to onion farmers in the state who are severely affected by a steep fall in the prices. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced this decision in the state Legislative Assembly and said it will provide relief to onion growers. Prices of the kitchen staple have crashed in Maharashtra, resulting in farmers getting very little for their produce. Shinde said due to the rise in onion production, the price of the crop has seen a decline. He said onion is a very important crop in the state and this has become a sensitive issue.

There is no ban on exports of onion and India has shipped the commodity worth USD 523.8 million during April-December 2022, the commerce ministry said on Sunday. It said that only the export of onion seed is restricted. "Government has not restricted or prohibited the export of onions," the ministry said in a statement. In December 2022, onion exports rose by about 50 per cent to USD 52.1 million. During April-December this fiscal, the exports rose by 16.3 per cent to USD 523.8 million. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal in a tweet on Saturday stated that there is no ban on onion exports from India to any country and misleading statements suggesting the contrary is unfortunate. The statement came after a tweet by NCP leader Supriya Sule on February 25 on onion exports.

Onion is cultivated three times a year - rabi season (March-May), kharif (October-December), and late kharif (January-March)

Onion prices have come down to around Rs 60-70 per kg depending upon quality and locality from the peak of Rs 160 per kg last month