Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy, Shri Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi launched the retail sale of onion at Rs.35 per kg by flagging off mobile vans of National Cooperative Consumer’s Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) deployed for the sale here, today. The event marked the commencement of calibrated and targeted release of onion from the government buffer to make the essential vegetable available to consumers at affordable prices.
While addressing the media, Shri Joshi said that keeping food inflation under control is a priority of Government of India and several direct interventions through price stabilisation measures have played important role in bringing down inflation rate in recent month.
“The onion buffer stock available with us is 4.7 lakh tonnes from the rabi crop. The Price Stabilisation Fund which was started under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi aims at intervening in the market when price of essential commodities increase,” Shri Joshi said adding on that the retail sale of onion will provide relief to the consumers across the country.
The targeted disposal of onion from the buffer is an integral part of centre government’s efforts to control food inflation and maintain stable price regime.
The targeted disposal of onion is being started with retail sale through outlets and mobile vans of NCCF and NAFED, e-commerce platforms and outlets of Kendriya Bhandar and SAFAL in major consumption centres. The quantity and disposal channels for onion will be enhanced, deepened, intensified and diversified as per the trend in onion prices. The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, is monitoring the daily prices of 38 commodities, including onion, reported from 550 centres across the country. The daily price data and the comparative trends constitute key inputs for decisions on the quantum and destinations for release of onion from the buffer.
(Source: PIB)
