New Delhi: With onion prices skyrocketing to Rs 65-70 per kg, the Indian government on Thursday allowed state-owned agencies like MMTC to import the kitchen staple to boost domestic supply and check price rise.
A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Price Stabilisation Fund Management Committee, headed by Consumer Affairs Secretary Avinash K Srivastava.
"In the meeting, the decision was taken to import onions through government agencies to augment the availability of onions in the market and moderate prices," Srivastava said in a statement.
That apart, cooperative Nafed and Small Farmers' Agriculture-Business Consortium (SFAC) have been asked to procure 10,000 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes, respectively, from the producing areas and supply it to the markets, he said.
"This will help enhance the availability of onion and moderate prices," he added.
The import quantity has not been decided yet. MMTC will issue tenders. The crop could be sourced from countries like Egypt and China, a senior official said. So far, the consumer affairs ministry has been facilitating onion imports through private traders, who have purchased 11,400 tonnes from the overseas market.