Onion Prices

Maha dy CM Ajit Pawar asks Centre to remove 20% export duty on onions

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday urged the BJP-led Centre to remove the 20 per cent levy on onion exports and provide relief to the grower of the bulbous vegetable. In a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Pawar highlighted the issues concerning farmers from Nashik district, where onion is grown in large quantities. The onions grown here (in Nashik) are available in other states of India and also exported in large quantities. As of today, onions from the summer yield have been exhausted and the fresh crop has reached various (Agriculture Produce) Market Committees in Maharashtra, Pawar wrote. Due to the arrival of a large stock of onions, farmers are now in distress as they are forced to sell their produce at a much lower rate since they have yet to receive any minimum support price, said Pawar. They are selling onions at an average of Rs 2,400 per quintal, he said. Unseasonal rains and changing climate have already caused a huge dent in the ...

Dist admin should check irregularities in onion procurement: Agri ministry

The Union Agriculture Ministry has suggested that district administration should be involved in procurement of onion to ensure transparency and check irregularities in the purchase process. In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs B L Verma said, the Department of Agriculture constituted a fact finding committee to look into allegations of irregularities in the procurement of onions under Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED). The department, vide OM (office memorandum) dated 4th November, 2024, "conveyed the suggestions that concerned district administration should be involved in the procurement process to ensure transparency and local oversight, to adopt biometric based verification of farmers, and payment to registered farmers bank account through Aadhaar Enabled Payment system", he added. Onions for PSF buffer are procured by NAFED and National Cooperative Consumers' ...

Onion crisis hits, Swiggy responds with Rs 39 sale after viral request

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

Onion prices likely to cool with new kharif crop arrival, says official

Onion prices are expected to further cool down in the coming days as the arrival of fresh kharif crop has begun, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said on Wednesday. Currently, the average all-India retail price of onion is ruling at Rs 54 per kg and the prices have declined in the past one month after the government's subsidised sale of onion in key consuming centers, the official said. The government is disposing of the buffer stock onion in the retail market at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg in Delhi-NCR and other cities to provide relief to consumers from high prices. The government has a buffer stock of 4.5 lakh tonne of onion, of which 1.5 lakh tonne has been disposed till date. According to the ministry official, the buffer stock onion is being transported to key consuming centres through railways for the first time and is helping boost the supplies. "We will continue with the bulk rail transportation of buffer onion till we exhaust with the stock and prices ..

Govt to offload more onions in markets to stabilise retail prices

The government on Tuesday said it is keeping a close watch on onion prices and has decided to offload more quantities from buffer stock in retail markets to stabilise rates amid temporary supply constraints. According to government data, the retail price of onion is Rs 67 per kg in the national capital while the all-India average retail price of the kitchen staple is Rs 58 per kg. "The government has decided to upscale the onion disposal in order to address temporary constraint in onion supply observed in certain markets in the past 2-3 days owing to festival season and closure of mandis," an official statement said. Co-operative NAFED has indented two more rakes for Delhi-NCR and one for Guwahati this week. Similarly, dispatch through road transport would also be upscaled to ensure the availability of onions in the market. "The availability of onions would be further accentuated by more supplies from NCCF, both through rail and road transport," it added. Moreover, the government

Onion prices soar in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow leaving consumers in distress

The price of onions has risen from Rs 40-60 kg to Rs 70-80 per kg at the wholesale markets

Onion prices hit 5-year high, expected to drive November inflation higher

Onion prices have increased by 21 per cent in four days, reaching a five-year high of Rs 60 per kg, while potato and cooking oil prices also remain elevated. Experts warn of inflation pressure in Nove

Bulk sale of onions stabilised prices across markets, says Centre

Second train carrying 840 tonnes of onions from Nashik reached Delhi on Wednesday

Govt's first 'Kanda Express' to transport 1,600 tonnes of onions to Delhi

The government is expecting that this first-ever large-scale movement of onions from Maharashtra will aid in stabilising prices in the Delhi-NCR area

As rain disrupts supply chain in key states, veggie prices start pinching

Prices of onions and tomatoes surge to Rs 70/kg in metro markets, while green vegetables like capsicum, spinach, and gourd are selling around Rs 100/kg

Govt steps up buffer stock sale to control onion prices after duty removal

The government has intensified its efforts to check onion prices by stepping up the sale of buffer stock in wholesale markets, following a spike in retail prices after the recent removal of export duty. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Monday said the Centre has begun offloading onions from its buffer stock in wholesale markets of Delhi and other key cities, with plans to expand subsidised retail sales nationwide. "We anticipated a price surge after lifting the export duty. With our 4.7 lakh tonne buffer stock and increased kharif sowing area, we expect to keep onion prices in check," Khare told reporters here. The government plans to increase retail sales of onions at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg across India, focusing on cities where prices exceed the national average. Official data shows retail onion price in Delhi at Rs 55 per kg on September 22, up from Rs 38 per kg a year ago. Prices in Mumbai and Chennai have reached Rs 58 and Rs 60 per kg, respectively. Sinc

Onion prices rise in Lasalgaon wholesale market after scrapping of MEP

Onion prices rose at the Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in the district on Saturday following the Union government's decision to scrap the minimum export price (MEP) and halve the export duty, sources said. The Lasalgaon APMC is one of the biggest onion wholesale markets in the country. The prices of the kitchen staple in the APMC rose by average Rs 433 per quintal, sources said. "The removal of MEP is certainly a good decision. The market has increased a bit. We think there should be no export ban. The imposition and removal of such things affects the market. Now MEP has been removed, but farmers' onion produce is running out," said Balasaheb Kshirsagar, Lasalgaon APMC chairman. "There is no clarification yet about whether export charges have been reduced by 20 per cent or 40 per cent," he told PTI. As many as 425 vehicles or 5,182 quintals of onion arrived at the market on Saturday. The prices ranged from Rs 3,700 to Rs 4,951 per quintal and Rs 4,700 per

Govt's subsidised onion sale brings relief, prices drop in major cities

The government's subsidised onion sale initiative, launched on September 5, has led to price drops in major cities within days, the consumer affairs ministry said on Saturday. In Delhi, retail onion price fell from Rs 60 to Rs 55 per kg, while Mumbai saw a decrease from Rs 61 to Rs 56 per kg. In Chennai, the retail price reduced from Rs 65 to Rs 58 per kg, the ministry said in a statement. The government initiated the sale of onions at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg through mobile vans and outlets of NCCF and NAFED. The program, which began in Delhi and Mumbai, has since expanded to other major cities including Chennai, Kolkata, Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, and Guwahati. Responding to the growing demand, the government has decided to increase the quantity of subsidised onion and expand distribution channels to include e-commerce platforms, Kendriya Bhandar outlets, and Mother Dairy's SAFAL stores. The government has also initiated wholesale disposal of onion in major cities. It

Average onion prices at Rs 58 per kg in national capital: Govt data

Average onion prices in the national capital continue to rule high at Rs 58 per kg on tight supply, the government data showed. According to the data compiled by the Department of Consumer Affairs, the All-India average price of onion on Tuesday is Rs 49.98 per kg, while the modal price is Rs 50 per kg. The maximum price of onion is Rs 80 per kg and the lowest is Rs 27 per kg. On September 5, the Centre began the first phase of retail sales of onion at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg to provide relief to Delhi-NCR and Mumbai consumers from rising prices of the kitchen staple. NCCF and NAFED, which are maintaining a buffer stock of 4.7 lakh tonne onion on behalf of the government, have started retail sale through their stores and mobile vans. Last week, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare noted that the outlook for onion availability and prices in coming months remains positive as the kharif (summer) sown area has increased sharply to 2.9 lakh hectares till last month against

Delhi food minister urges steps to control onion, essential items' prices

Delhi Food and Supplies minister Imran Hussain has directed officials concerned to take effective measures to keep prices of onion and other essential commodities under control, according to a statement issued on Monday. During a meeting, the minister cautioned the food and civil supplies department to be vigilant about the surge in prices of onion and other essential commodities in Delhi, it said. The minister directed food and civil supplies department to instruct the market intelligence unit to depute teams in markets to ascertain the retail prices of essential commodities, the statement issued by the minister's office, said. The minister also instructed the marketing intelligence team to evaluate the difference between wholesale and retail prices of commodities. Officers present in the meeting said average retail prices of onion in Delhi have been stable for some time and are likely to remain stable in the near future as well, it stated. Hussain directed the Supplies departmen

50% jump in onion sowing may help cool down prices in coming months

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

Govt to begin onion sale at Rs 35 per kg in Delhi-NCR from Thursday

To contain rising prices of onion, the Centre will kickstart from Thursday retail sales of the bulb at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg through mobile vans and NCCF retail shops in Delhi-NCR. Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi will launch the retail sale of onion from Krishi Bhawan, an official statement said. The sale through mobile vans will be undertaken at 38 locations including Krishi Bhawan, NCUI complex, Rajiv Chowk Metro Station, Patel Chowk Metro Station, and parts of Noida, it said. The market intervention is aimed at improving local supplies and curb rising prices of the key kitchen staple, which is ruling over Rs 60 per kg in the national capital. NCCF has maintained a buffer stock of onion procured directly from farmers of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The same onion will be offloaded for retail sale at a subsidized rate of Rs 35 per kg in order to protect consumers from exorbitant prices and prevent windfall gains for intermediaries. By directly eng

Kitchen staple onion prices remain above Rs 45/kg, supply shortages persist

Many onion traders are holding back their stock, anticipating further price increases due to the potential for heavy rainfall in October and November, which could disrupt supply

India exported 260,000 tonnes of onion in Apr-July: MoS Verma in Lok Sabha

India exported 2.6 lakh tonne of onions till July of this fiscal year, the government said on Wednesday. "Government has lifted the onion prohibition from 4th May, 2024 and allowed the export with minimum export price of (MEP) of USD 550 per tonne and export duty of 40 per cent. "Till 31st July, 2024, a total quantity of 2.60 lakh tonne of onion had been exported in current financial year 2024-25," Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs B L Verma said in a written reply in Lok Sabha. India had exported 16.07 lakh tonne of onions in the last fiscal. Further, he said the government had procured 4.68 lakh tonne, majorly from Maharashtra, through NCCF and NAFED for the price stabilisation buffer. "In comparison with last year (2023), the price realisation by onion farmers in current year has been much higher. The average monthly mandi modal prices of onion in Maharashtra between April and July, 2024 were in the range of Rs 1,230 to Rs 2,578 per quintal as against Rs 693 to Rs

Govt buys onions at 74% higher prices in Maharashtra ahead of state polls

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