Onion supply comfortable for the coming months, says consumer affairs secretary

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare announced on Wednesday that onion availability is sufficient to meet domestic demand in the coming months. The government has initiated a controlled release of buffer stocks ahead of the festive and wedding seasons to keep onion prices stable. Khare revealed that retail onion prices declined by 13% within two days, dropping from ₹43.53 per kg to ₹37.87 per kg as of August 26.

The government expects comfortable production, buffer stocks, and market interventions to maintain adequate supplies and moderate price pressures during the upcoming months. Onion production for 2025-26 is forecasted at 307.37 lakh tonnes (LMT), similar to the previous year's 307.67 LMT. The government has allocated 2 LMT of rabi onion for the price stabilization fund's buffer, with 1.21 LMT already procured.

Onion sales are being carried out through mobile vans, retail outlets, and various agencies, with increased railway-based movements of buffer onions to cities across the country. The government has also introduced the Central Warehousing Corporation as the storage agency for the price stabilization fund onion buffer starting in 2026-27.