Sale of onions at ₹35 per kg via fair price shops launched in Tamil Nadu
The Tamil Nadu government has launched the sale of onions at a subsidized rate of ₹35 per kg through fair price shops to combat retail inflation. The initiative utilizes stock procured by NAFED and NCCF to ensure affordability during the festival season.
Why it matters
Government intervention in food pricing is a critical mechanism for managing cost-of-living pressures in developing economies.
In an effort to reduce the price of onions in the open market, the sale of onions at ₹35 per kg via fair price shops was launched in Chennai on Thursday (September 3, 2026).
Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Venkataramanan and Minister for Cooperation V. Gandhirajan inaugurated the sale. Around 1,000 tonnes of onions harvested in the Rabi season have been procured from Nasik.
The stipulations for the onions include that they are A-grade, of good marketable quality, not rotting, do not have excessive sprouting, and are of size 45 mm and above.
Following the rise in #onion prices, ration shops in #TamilNadu have begun selling onions to card holders at ₹35 per kg. A scene from a cooperative ration shop in #Dindigul on Thursday. Photo: Karthikeyan G. pic.twitter.com/Gd96JOmNae
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