Amid the rise in prices of three key vegetables, the Center has said that onion prices are being stabilized with the release of buffer stock, while efforts are on to soften the prices of tomatoes and potatoes.
Onion stocks are being released in the market before the last week of August on a first out basis to soften the prices and ensure minimum storage loss.
“Till October 12, a total of 67,357 tonnes have been released in major markets like Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Patna, Ranchi, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kochi and Raipur,” the consumer affairs ministry said on Sunday. Said to
In addition, Grade-B onions (stocks that are below reasonable average quality) are disposed of in the local markets of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
The ministry further said that the stock of onions is also available for supply to central and state agencies involved in retail marketing, either at the pre-storage rate of Rs 21 per kg or landed price after including the transportation cost.
In retail markets, onion was ruling at ₹42 per kg in Chennai, ₹44 per kg in Delhi, ₹45 per kg in Mumbai and ₹57 per kg in Kolkata.
According to government data, the retail price of tomato rose to Rs 93 per kg in some cities due to sluggish arrivals in mandis amid reports of crop failure due to unseasonal rains. Among metro cities, tomatoes were the most expensive at ₹93 per kg in Kolkata, ₹60 per kg in Chennai, ₹59 per kg in Delhi and ₹53 per kg in Mumbai.
Even in wholesale markets, tomatoes sold at Rs 84 per kg in Kolkata, Rs 52 a kg in Chennai, Rs 30 a kg in Mumbai and Rs 29.50 a kg in Delhi.
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