New Delhi : The central government has stored a record amount (250,000 tonnes) of onions this year to control the possible rise in onion prices.
Notably, onion prices are rising in the country as there is no harvest from August to December. In the coming months, the government will release stored onions to keep people out of trouble.
The government has taken steps to keep rising vegetable prices while the country’s inflation rate continues to rise at 7%. According to various media reports, the Union Ministry of Consumer Protection has stored the onions.
In a statement, the Khauti ministry said that onions had been procured from farmers in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, which are widely cultivated.
According to ministry officials, about 65% of the onions harvested in the country are sown between April and June, and onions are harvested in October. Later, the seeds are sown in October-November and the onions are harvested in April-May. The government buys and stores onions produced by farmers. Due to this, the country does not have a shortage of onions at the rainy season also.
This year, the government has bought winter-harvested onions from farmers through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India, the statement said.