Government sells 4,000 tonnes of buffer onions in 10 days to curb prices
The Indian government has sold 4,000 tonnes of subsidized onions across 17 cities to stabilize rising retail prices. Agencies like NCCF and Nafed are utilizing dedicated rail and road transport to distribute the buffer stock.
Why it matters
Government intervention in food supply chains is critical for managing inflation and ensuring food security for price-sensitive populations.
The government has sold about 4,000 tonnes of buffer onions across 17 cities in the first 10 days of a subsidised sale aimed at curbing soaring prices, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Sunday (September 6, 2026).
The Centre, through its agencies National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Fedration Of India Ltd. (Nafed), is sitting on a buffer stock of 1.21 lakh tonnes of onions for 2026.
These agencies are transporting the stored onions in bulk from producing States to consuming centres, either by a dedicated rail rake christened “Kanda Express” or by trucks, as part of a retail intervention aimed at cooling prices. Onions are being sold at a subsidised rate of ₹35 per kg in select price-sensitive cities.
“Approximately 4,000 tonnes of buffer onion have been sold so far in 17 cities,” Ms. Khare told PTI .
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in