Centre starts onion sales in Delhi NCR at ₹35/Kg, at other places soon

On Thursday, the Indian government launched discounted sales of onions at ₹35 per kilogram in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), with plans to extend the initiative to other cities such as Lucknow, Chandigarh, and Ludhiana. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare attributed the high prices to traders attempting to create artificial scarcity, stating there is ample supply and no need for imports. The Centre is selling onions using buffer stock, procured directly from farmers at 1.21 lakh tonnes.

Following the launch of mobile vans carrying onions, Khare announced there are no plans to ban onion exports. In the April-June 2026 period, India exported around 3.82 lakh tonnes of onions. She asserted that the country has sufficient onion supply to meet festive season demand, and prices would start falling once the government's measures were known.

Khare mentioned a similar success with tomato prices, which saw a drop after the government sold the vegetable at discounted rates. Onion prices in Delhi were ₹62 per kg on Thursday, the same as the previous day but double the level of the past six months, according to government data. In a month, onion prices increased by 32% in Delhi, 46% in Punjab, 39% in Uttar Pradesh, 50% in Odisha, 45% in Maharashtra, 29% in Madhya Pradesh, 36% in Karnataka, and 30% in Rajasthan.

The government will distribute onions through three cooperatives—Nafed, NCCF, and Kendriya Bhandar, as well as Mother Dairy, owned by NDDB, through its Safal outlets. Nafed would sell onions in 39 places, including 14 in Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh, while NCCF would sell in 40 places using mobile vans and 8 retail outlets.

Kendriya Bhandar will sell onions in its 102 Delhi retail stores. The current onions were transported from Nashik, where the buffer stock is maintained by the Centre, and more quantity will become available when the first dedicated railway rake, "Kanda Express," carrying 800 tonnes of onions, reaches Delhi, likely on Thursday night.