New Delhi: Amid rising onion prices across the country, the Centre has decided to sell onions from its 2026 buffer stock at a subsidised rate of ₹35 per kg in Delhi from Thursday.
Retail onion prices in several cities have reportedly climbed to ₹55–60 per kg.
A senior official of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi will launch the subsidised sale in Delhi on Thursday. The government has created a buffer stock of 1.21 lakh tonnes of onions for 2026, part of which will now be released into the market.
NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar to sell onions
The Centre has assigned the distribution to NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar. NCCF managing director Anis Joseph Chandra said the initiative will initially begin in Delhi and is expected to be expanded across the NCR by the weekend.
NCCF has around 62,000 tonnes of onions in its stock. A special train carrying 400 tonnes of onions from Nashik, Maharashtra, has been arranged to transport the produce to Delhi. The train has been named ‘Kanda Express’ and is expected to reach Delhi on Thursday.
NCCF plans to sell the subsidised onions through 100 Kendriya Bhandar stores and 15 mobile vans in Delhi. The number of mobile vans is expected to increase to 40 by Friday.
Discussions are also underway to make the onions available through around 300 Mother Dairy booths.
Officials said onions transported by rail will also be used for subsidised distribution in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Varanasi and other cities.
