SFAC more than doubles onion supplies to check price

To prevent further spike in retail prices of onions, central agency SFAC has more than doubled the supply of the key kitchen staple to 250 tonne a day in the national Capital market and NCR areas.

The Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) and the National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation (NAFED) have together procured <g data-gr-id="30">7,000-8,000 tonne</g> onions from Nasik, Maharashtra using the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF). On its part, Delhi government has procured 2,000 tonne of onions and the stocks have been stored with the SFAC.

Retail prices of the key kitchen staple are ruling at Rs 55-60 per kg in the national Capital, taking cues from Lasalgaon near Nasik — Asia’s biggest onion market — where wholesale rate has risen to Rs 40 per kg.

“We have increased onion supplies to 250 tonne a day from 100 tonne a week before. We are supplying 25 <g data-gr-id="23">per cent</g> of the total daily arrival of 1,000 tonne in Delhi,” SFAC Managing Director Parvesh Sharma said. He said that increasing supplies of onions has helped moderate wholesale prices by Rs 4-5/kg.

SFAC, which is also marketing onions stock of NAFED, is selling onions through Mother Dairy’s Safal outlets, Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS)’s 100 booths and Big Bazaar. Onions at DMS booths are being sold at a fixed rate of Rs 34 per kg, much below the market rate of Rs 45-50 per kg, while the prices at <g data-gr-id="24">Safal</g> are being fixed by Mother Dairy itself. <g data-gr-id="25">Safal</g> is selling at Rs 49/kg, he added. The Delhi government has also started selling onions at Rs 40 per kg through fair price shops at 280 locations in Delhi and NCR areas.