Nashik: Despite the Central Government beginning to release onions from its buffer stock to control rising prices, the expected check on the price surge has not materialised. Over the past ten days, around
4,000 tonnes of buffer onions have been sold across 17 cities. The onions are being made available to consumers at ₹35 per kg through NAFED and NCCF.
The Centre has a buffer stock of around 1.21 lakh tonnes of onions for 2026. To control rising prices, onions from producing states are being transported to major consumer markets by trucks as well as through special Onion Express trains.
However, government intervention does not appear to have had the desired impact on retail prices. When the intervention began on August 28, the average retail price of onions across the country was around ₹48.50 per kg. Ten days later, it had increased to ₹50.79 per kg. Thus, despite releasing thousands of tonnes of buffer onions into the market, the rise in retail prices has not been halted.
Challenge of rising prices in Lasalgaon
Meanwhile, onion prices have once again shown an upward trend in Lasalgaon, one of Maharashtra’s major onion markets. The average onion price in the Lasalgaon market has recently reached ₹4,551 per quintal. Despite government intervention, the sale of buffer stocks and measures against hoarding, market volatility continues.
Farmers raise questions
While the government is releasing buffer onions into the market to provide relief to consumers, farmers are closely watching the extent to which this intervention affects the prices received by onion growers.
Farmers are once again demanding a long-term and stable export and marketing policy for onions instead of a policy in which government intervention is intensified in the interest of consumers whenever prices rise, while the market is left open when prices fall in order to protect farmers.
Arrivals decline in Lasalgaon, prices rise again
Price fluctuations continue in Lasalgaon, one of Asia’s major onion markets. Onion prices have reportedly risen again over the past few days. Lower arrivals, uncertain weather conditions and a decline in production have affected market supplies.
