Govt’s onion buffer stock quality ‘good’, storage with CWC aids shelf life: Consumer affairs secretary
The Indian government has defended the quality of its onion buffer stock, noting that storage by the Central Warehousing Corporation has improved shelf life. Officials are using dedicated rail rakes to distribute the stock to major cities to stabilize retail prices.
Why it matters
Onion prices are a highly sensitive economic indicator in India, often triggering political backlash if they rise too sharply.
The quality of the Centre's onion buffer stock is "good", Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Friday (August 28, 2026), asserting that for the first time this year the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) was roped in for storage to ensure better shelf life of the commodity.
Ms. Khare refuted reports claiming that 30 of the 1.21 lakh tonne onion buffer maintained by the government had rotten. "Nothing of that kind has happened. Quality is good," she told PTI .
Unlike previous years, when the onion buffer was stored with traders, the responsibility this time was entrusted to the CWC, with a third party assessing the quality of the stock at regular intervals, the secretary said.
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