Food and Civil Supplies Minister Phani Bhushan Choudhury today promised relief from the eye-watering price of onion in the state.

The government will start selling onion from Thursday at Rs. 66/- per kilogram."We will monitor the process thoroughly. Action will be taken against those found to be involved in black marketing of the vegetable", the Minister said.

The current spike in the onion prices is attributed to the excess rain this year due to which farmers could not harvest their crop in time, leading to an acute shortage of onion supply in the market: he added.

Minister of Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department Phani Bhusan Choudhury held a meeting with the delegation of Chamber of commerce on Wednesday. According to the Chamber of commerce, the prices of onion may remain the same till January, next year.

Runaway price of the kitchen staple – up to Rs. 80 per kilogram – has pinched the pocket of household consumers as well as restaurants.