The Department of Consumer Affairs has announced that 1,600 MT onions is being shipped by rail by the Kanda fast train from Nashik to Delhi NCR.

These onions are transported in 42 BCN wagons, i.e., approximately 53 trucks, and are procured by National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF) under the price stabilisation fund, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said.

Notably, it is for the first time that bulk transport of onions by rail rake has been adopted under price stabilization intervention.

The onion shipment is scheduled to arrive by 20th October, 2024 and the stocks will be released in Delhi-NCR which will substantially increase the availability to consumers during this festive season.

Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs informed that railways as a mode of onion transportation is set to gain importance as more destinations are being added to bolster the pace of disposal.

Shipments by rail rake to Lucknow and Varanasi will be scheduled in next few days, she added.

The Department has also requested Indian Railways to allow transportation of onion rakes from Nashik to multiple locations across the North-eastern region which would include NJP: New Jalpaiguri (Siliguri); DBRG- Dibrugarh; NTSK- New Tinsukia; and CGS: Changsari.

Centre had procured 4.7 lakh tons of rabi onion for the price stabilization buffer this year, and started the release from 5th September, 2024 through retail sale at Rs 35 per kg and also through bulk sales in major mandis across the country.

Till date about 92,000 MT of onion in the buffer has been dispatched from Nashik and other source centres to consuming centres through trucks by road transport.

As on date, NCCF has covered 77 destinations in 21 States and NAFED covered 43 destinations in 16 States in their onion disposal. The agencies have also partnered with retail chains such as SAFAL, Kendriya Bhandar and Reliance Retail for distribution of onions to retail consumers at Rs 35 per kg.

In addition, 86,500 MT of onion has been allotted to 9 States Governments/Cooperative Societies for retail distribution.

Government said the average retail prices in major States like UP, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Jharkhand and Telangana have come down in recent days in comparison to the level in first week of September, 2024.

In respect of tomato, Secretary, Consumer Affairs stated that recent surge in prices is because of excess rains and high moisture level in major tomato producing areas of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.