The government has successfully sold approximately 4,000 tonnes of buffer onions across 17 cities in the first ten days of subsidised sales aimed at curbing skyrocketing prices. As per Business Standard, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare confirmed that the Centre, through its agencies NCCF and NAFED, is sitting on a buffer stock of 1.21 lakh tonnes of onion for 2026. The agencies are transporting stored onions in bulk from producing states to consuming centres, either by dedicated rail rake christened 'Kanda Express' or by trucks, as part of a retail intervention aimed at cooling prices. NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra specifically noted that NCCF alone has sold 1,500 tonnes of buffer onions so far, with the focus on retail sales at ₹35 per kg.
The Centre has significantly widened its discounted onion sale program to 19 cities across India, offering onions at ₹35 per kg as prices continue to rise following crop damage caused by recent rains. According to reports from The Times of India, Delhi is among the cities covered by the intervention, with the Centre set to provide 1,000 metric tonnes of onions to the capital. The onions will be sold to consumers at ₹35 per kg through fair price shops and mobile vans across all 13 districts, as announced by Delhi CM Rekha Gupta on Tuesday. The latest data shows that retail sale of onions continues at ₹35 per kg through NCCF, NAFED, Kendriya Bhandar outlets and mobile vans, ensuring affordable availability for consumers nationwide.
The intervention has shown positive results with Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare noting that "the distribution of buffer onions has brought some relief to consumers. Prices have fallen slightly". As reported by Business Standard, NCCF's retail intervention is currently underway in Delhi-NCR region, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab, Odisha and a few other states. According to Chandra, the subsidised sale has led to a ₹2-3 per kg fall in prices. Current market data shows onion retailing at ₹58 per kg in Delhi, ₹53 per kg in Mumbai, ₹63 per kg in Chennai and ₹40 per kg in Ranchi, while the average wholesale price stood at ₹42.79 per kg as of September 5. The average all-India retail price of onion stood at ₹50.79 per kg compared to ₹48.5 per kg when the subsidised sale was launched on August 28.
The government has deployed one mobile van in each of Delhi's 13 districts to sell onions at ₹35 per kg, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the city. According to The Times of India, the mobile vans are specifically aimed at taking affordable onions to areas where people may find it difficult to access fair price shops. The retail initiative has expanded significantly across 19 cities, supported by the dispatch of over 30 trucks to ensure widespread availability. These cities include Delhi, Jaipur, Jammu, Dehradun, Shimla, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Guwahati, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna, Bhojpur (Bihar), Sharif (Bihar), Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Madurai, Thrissur and Kochi. The Delhi government said the move is aimed at increasing availability of affordable onions across the city, with the mobile vans moving across their respective districts to ensure accessibility for all residents.
Officials indicated that the outlook for the new kharif onion crop looks promising, with its arrival in the market from mid-October expected to ease supply pressure and bring further relief on prices. According to Business Standard, the rabi onion crop, typically stored for release later in the year, had suffered some damage during harvesting due to untimely rains. The government has begun a calibrated release of onion buffer stocks through a hybrid transportation model comprising railway rakes and road transport to major consumption centres. Two Kanda Express consignments have been dispatched from Nashik, with the first rake carrying 450 MT of onions reaching Delhi in late hours of 27 August 2026. Additionally, Rs 210 crores have been paid directly to around 3,400 farmers, ensuring timely payments while the government remains committed to supporting onion farmers.
