No unseasonal rain threat to onion prices, enough buffer stock, says govt

The govt on Thursday ruled out a rise in onion prices in coming weeks. While unseasonal rains may have some minor impact on kharif onion output, India has enough buffer stocks to meet any resultant shortfall, it said.

"Prices of onion and pulses will not rise till December because we have enough buffer stock available with us," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said.

Not just onion, prices of pulses are also likely to remain sable till December, PTI reported quoting Singh.


45 per cent of onion production happens during kharif (summer) season. The rest — 65 per cent — is produced in the rabi (winter) season.

It is worth noting here that onion prices have been fairly stable this year. This is because of record production in the 2021-22 rabi season as well as 2.5 lakh tonnes of buffer stock.

The govt has procured enough stocks through Nafed which is being released into the market according to requirement, Singh said.

Buffer-stock onion is being released whenever a certain region's prices go up, he said. "Wherever the prices are above the national average, we tend to supply out there. We are hoping that till December there is nothing to worry on onion end," he added.

As per govt data, around 54,000 tonnes of onion buffer stock has been released across 14 states and Union Territories. This has kept prices stable, the govt says.

Besides, the govt is offering onion to all the states/UTs and Mother Dairy, Safal, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar to lift onion from Central Buffer Stock at the rate of Rs 800 per quintal. That has played a role in keeping retail prices stable, it said.

As for pulses, Singh said that the government has a stock of 43.82 lakh tonnes (all pulses combined). This is more than enough to keep the markets stable, he insisted.