Nafed procures 25K tonnes of onion to create buffer stock

NEW DELHI: National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) on Sunday said it has procured 25,000 tonnes of onion so far from farmer producer organisations (FPOS), cooperatives and direct purchase centres at the prevailing rates for creating a buffer stock on behalf of the government.

Last year, the Nafed had purchased a total of 57,000 tonnes of onion from the 2018-19 rabi (winter) crop. The target this time is to buy 1 lakh tonnes of key kitchen staple from the major producing states, it said. “This initiative will have dual benefit of stabilising the domestic prices of onion in the COVID-19 time as well and create an all-time high buffer stocking of 1 lakh tonne which may be utilised for the lean months,” (Nafed) said in a statement.

It has already purchased 25,000 tonnes at the prevailing rates. Onion is being purchased from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat from FPOS, cooperatives as well as direct purchase centres. Currently, the onion prices for fair average quality are ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,400 per quintal, depending on the location. The retail prices in major cities at present are ruling in the range of Rs 20 to Rs 30 per kg.

In the wake of the COVID19 pandemic, Nafed said regular virtual review meetings are being held with FPOS, member cooperative societies and branches to monitor the progress of procurement, as ground challenges remain due to the deadly disease. At some places, pre-monsoon showers are affecting the pace of procurement.