In order to control prices of onion, the central government will offload 50,000 tonnes of the vegetable from its buffer stock to Guwahati. This was said by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
The retail price of onion is little higher in Guwahati than the all-India average rates.
The ministry also wrote to other state governments and union territories to purchase onions at Rs. 18.13 from the centre in case of need as there are many cities where prices are slightly higher.
Notably, the centre had purchased 2.5 tonnes of onions in July from farmers to create buffer stocks for the period of 2022-23. These buffer stocks are meant to be sold in cities and states where there is rise in prices of the vegetables.
According to government data, the production of onions is estimated to have risen from 26.65 million tonnes to 31.70 million tonnes in 2021-22.
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) purchased rabi harvest onions from farmers in the vegetable growing states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh through the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
