Onion buffer stock quality good, says Consumer Affairs Secretary

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Friday rejected reports that 30% of the government's 1.21 lakh tonne onion buffer stock had rotted. She called the quality good. "Nothing of that kind has happened. Quality is good," she told PTI.

For the first time, the buffer stock was stored with the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) instead of with traders. A third party now assesses the quality at regular intervals, Khare said. She explained that onion contains 90% water and retains its quality for three months after harvest. After that, it shrinks as water vapourises. The extent of spoilage depends on storage conditions and ventilation.

Some onion was procured in May. The bulk was procured in June-July, which is why the quality remains good, she said. Onion recovery is estimated at 72% this year, up from 49% in 2022, 54% in 2023, and 63% in 2024. The stock is procured through agencies such as Nafed and NCCF.

The buffer stock is being transported in bulk through 'Kanda Express', a dedicated rail rake, to Delhi, Chennai, Madurai, Ernakulam, and Guwahati. A consignment of 453 tonnes reached Delhi on Friday. The move is expected to boost supplies in Delhi-NCR and nearby cities and rein in prices. The fall in retail rates is likely to be visible within a week.

Khare noted that mandi prices in Nashik have started easing following the initiative. She said that on August 24, the mandi price of onion in the producing centre of Nashik stood at Rs 44 per kg, higher than the Rs 25 per kg retail price at the consumption centre of Delhi on the same day. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, she added, are slowly emerging as major suppliers of onion to Delhi and other northern states. "There should not be a problem. The stock is good," she said.

Khare said the kharif onion crop outlook is also promising, with the El Nino scare now over. She allayed concerns over El Nino's impact on the rabi onion crop, saying irrigation has improved and water levels in key reservoirs remain healthy.

Retail onion prices in the capital rose 88% to Rs 62 per kg on Thursday, up from Rs 33 per kg a year earlier, according to Consumer Affairs Ministry data. The all-India average retail price stood at Rs 46.58 per kg, while the wholesale rate was Rs 38.29 per kg on the same day. Despite the price spike, Khare said onion availability remains comfortable to meet domestic demand in the coming months. That is supported by an estimated 2025-26 production of 307.37 lakh tonnes, broadly on a par with the 307.67 lakh tonnes produced the previous year.