Centre to divert 50,000 tonnes of onions to Guwahati

• Image Credit: Google

• Sep 8, 2022 | Dhupali Das

While the price of onions is at a five-year low in most parts of the country, Guwahati has seen a spike...

Digital Desk: To keep onion prices under control, the central government will send 50,000 tonnes from its buffer stock to Guwahati.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution has also written to the state governments and union territories requesting that they purchase onions from the central government at a cost of Rs 18.13 a kg if necessary.

While the price of onions is at a five-year low in most parts of the country, Guwahati has seen a spike.

In July, the government purchased 2.5 lakh tonnes of onions from farmers to build buffer stocks for 2022–23, which will be sold in the open market in cities and areas where prices are rising.

According to government data, onion production is expected to increase to 31.70 million tonnes in 2021–22, up from 26.64 million tonnes the previous year.

The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) purchased the rabi harvest onions from farmers in the onion-growing states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh through Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).