The Kanda express train with 840 metric tonnes of onion arrived at Kishanganj Railway Station in Delhi today from Nashik in Maharashtra to meet the demand of onion in Delhi-NCR. The Consumer Affairs Ministry said this is the second bulk transportation of onions by train to Delhi-NCR after the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India brought one thousand 600 metric tonnes of onions last week by Kanda press. The Ministry said most of the onions will be released in Azadpur Mandi to augment overall availability in the market, while part of the stock will go for retail sale at 35 rupees per kilogram.

The government has procured 4.7 lakh tonnes of rabi onion for the price stabilisation buffer this year and started the release through retail sales and also through bulk sales in major mandis across the country. The Ministry said, Till date, over 1.40 lakh tonnes of onion in the buffer have been dispatched from Nashik and other source centres to consuming centres through trucks by road transport.

The Ministry said that since the start of onion disposal, the retail prices of onions have substantially stabilised in major states such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi. All-India average retail prices remained largely stable during October. The onion shipment by rail to Guwahati will enhance availability in the Northeastern States. The Ministry added that the price of onion in Nashik mandi also declined from the peak of 47 rupees per kilogram to 40 rupees per kilogram.