highlights
The government gave a big gift to the onion farmers on the day of Holi.
The government directed the agencies to buy onions directly from the farmers.
This instruction has been given in view of the news of fall in the prices in the mandis.
New Delhi. On the day of Holi, the government has given a big gift to the onion farmers. The government has directed its procurement agencies to immediately intervene in the market for dispatch and sale of red onion to procurement and consumption centers simultaneously in view of reports of fall in prices in mandis. The government has given this instruction to National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and National Consumer Cooperative Federation of India Limited (NCCF) to buy onions from farmers.
According to news agency ANI, to address the challenges of falling prices, the government has a Price Stabilization Fund for procurement and storage of onions as a buffer to keep the supply chain smooth during the lean season. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said in a statement on Tuesday evening that NAFED has procured about 4,000 tonnes of onions directly from farmers at rates above Rs 900 per 100 kg in the last ten days.
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There were reports that onions were being sold less than Rs 1 to 2 per kg in Lasalgaon Mandi, India’s largest onion market. According to the statement of the ministry, NAFED has opened 40 procurement centers where farmers can sell their stock and receive their payment online. NAFED has made arrangements to move the stock from procurement centers to Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi.
It may be known that during the year 2022-23, the estimated production of onion is about 318 lakh tonnes, which has crossed the last year’s production of 316.98 lakh tonnes. “Prices remained stable due to consistency in demand and supply as well as export capacity,” the statement said. However, the month of February saw a fall in red onion prices, especially in the state of Maharashtra where the modal rate fell to Rs 500 -700 per quintal. Experts attribute this decline to increase in overall production in other states, reducing dependence on supplies from Nashik, the country’s leading producing district.
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Tags: Onion Price, Onion Production
FIRST PUBLISHED : March 08, 2023, 13:17 IST
