Government to provide cheap onion from buffer stock
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan on Wednesday said that the Central Government will provide to the states at 15.69 rupees per kg . He said that onion will be sold from buffer stock. From Saturday, 100 tonnes of onions will be sent daily to Delhi. He said that onion supply has been affected due to the recent floods in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, but there is no shortage of stock. Paswan said that 35,000 tonnes of Onion is lying in the stock of government agencies and the government is taking steps towards providing Onion at cheap rates. He told that in the last season, the government agencies had purchased stock of 50,000 tonnes of onion and made buffer stock. Onion is being sold in the retail market of Delhi-NCR at Rs 50-60 per kg.
The government, which has come into action on the price of Onion touching the sky, has indicated to take all the necessary steps towards controlling the prices. The Union Minister warned the hoarders of Onion that the stock limit of Onion can be fixed if required.
On the other hand, due to the stock of NAFED, the government has increased the pace of selling onion in the open market. On Tuesday, people were buying onions in queues in front of the Agriculture Ministry, where Paswan’s office is located. Onion was being provided to them at the rate of Rs 24 per kg. A woman in queues said that at present, onion is found in the colonies markets at Rs 60-70 per kg, but it is quite a relief to get a two kg packet at Rs 24 per kg.
He said, “States have been told to use 35,000 tonnes of stock available with the central government for direct retail sales, so that the rising prices can be controlled. In this regard, a message was sent to the state governments and they were asked to share their requirements from the central buffer stock. He told that till now Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Tripura and Odisha, five states have demanded to make Onion available.”
The Central Government has directed NAFED to distribute Onion in Delhi through successful, Mother Dairy and NCCF sales centers as well as own sales centers, saying that the price of Onion should not be more than Rs. 24 per kg.
He told that the kharif crop of Onion from Karnataka has already started coming to the market. This will reduce the pressure on onion supply from Maharashtra. He said that Maharashtra has enough stock of onions to meet the current demand. Paswan said that it seems that supply is being disrupted, so that prices can be increased. If the prices do not come down due to the betting of the traders, then the government will also consider imposing stock limits.
According to APMC data, the arrival of Onion in Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi was 1,506.5 tonnes on Tuesday, while the arrival was recorded 1,370.9 tonnes a day earlier. Prices remained stable due to rising arrivals.
It is worth noting that last week, the wholesale price of Onion in Delhi went above Rs 50 per kg when the retail price of Onion in the capital of the country rose to Rs 70-75 per kg. In other parts of the country, onion prices started touching the sky. According to market traders, for the first time after 2015, Onion was getting such expensive prices in the country.
According to the third advance production estimate of commercial crops, onion production in 2018-19 is 343.85 lakh tonnes, which is more than 232.82 lakh tonnes last year. Surprisingly, despite the increase in production of onion in the country, the prices have increased.
Earlier, to keep the price of onion under control, the government set its minimum export price i.e. MEP at $ 850 per tonne so that the ban on exports does not reduce the supply of onion in the country’s markets. According to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, DGFT’s notification dated 13 September, exports of onion at a price below $ 850 per ton (FOB) will not be allowed until further orders are arrived in this regard. .
Paswan said that exports being made below the minimum export price to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will be immediately banned and strict action will be taken against those people and bodies who will be found violating this decision of the government.
Onion comes from Kabul
Kabul, has started sending onions to the country. Afghan onions have started being sold in the last few days in various cities of Punjab, the state’s western border. Business sources said that onions have started coming into the country from Afghanistan via Pakistan. A source said that soon 30-35 carts of onion from Afghanistan are going to arrive in the country, which has been loaded.
Sources said that due to the strong increase in the price of onion in India, Afghan traders are excited to sell onion in the markets here and if, the price of onion will be Rs 30 per kg here.
