New Delhi: Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi launched the retail sale of onions at Rs. 24 per kg by flagging off mobile vans of NCCF, NAFED, and Kendriya Bhandar deployed for the sale here today. The event marked the commencement of calibrated and targeted release of onions from the government buffer to make the essential vegetable available to consumers at affordable prices.

Joshi said that keeping food inflation under control is a priority of the Government of India, and various direct interventions through price stabilisation measures have played an important role in bringing down the inflation rate in recent months. The general retail inflation for July 2025, at 1.55%, the lowest in nearly eight years, is attributed to a substantial decline in food inflation. The calibrated and targeted disposal of onions from the buffer is an integral part of the government’s efforts to control food inflation and maintain a stable price regime.

The targeted disposal of onions is being started in Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad today, with retail sale through outlets and mobile vans of NCCF, NAFED, and Kendriya Bhandar, and also through distribution partners of NAFED and NCCF. The coverage will be widened, deepened, intensified, and diversified across the country as per the trend in onion prices. The Department is monitoring the daily prices of 38 commodities, including onions, reported from 574 centres across the country. The daily price data and the comparative trends constitute key inputs for decisions on the quantum and destinations for the release of onions from the buffer.

Onion production this year is estimated at 307.71 lakh tonnes, which is about 27% higher than the previous year. No duty or restrictions are imposed on the export of onions, and the pace of export is steady, with 1.06 lakh tonnes in July and 1.09 lakh tonnes exported in August 2025.

Considering the availability and price scenario, the government procured 3.00 lakh tonnes of onions for the price stabilisation buffer through NCCF and NAFED. The onions were procured from farmers/farmers’ federations in major rabi onion-producing areas in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, and payments for the onions have been made through direct transfer to the farmers’ accounts. An integrated system for monitoring procurement, storage, and disposal has been adopted in onion operations this year by deploying technology capturing activities across all stages of operations.

In order to ensure transparency in onion procurement, the genuineness of farmers and their land records has been verified through e-Mahabhumi, the official portal of the Maharashtra government. Payments to farmers are made through their Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts. To ensure quantity and quality, regular visits are undertaken by officers from the Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Food & Public Distribution, and National Test House to verify the stock of onions in storage warehouses. Payments to farmers are made for quantities that have been moved to chawls and duly verified.

Retail disposal of onions starting from today in Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The number of stationary outlets and mobile vans deployed by NCCF, NAFED and Kendriya Bhandar as on today are given below:

Retail disposal of onions has been the focus for this year buffer disposal for effective management of prices across the state. NAFED, for the first time, is implementing a dedicated billing application along with their existing Track and Trace software.

The digital billing application has an easy and user-friendly interface, ensuring ease of access and operation. The application will be installed in mobile phones of operators of all mobile vans, enabling beneficiary identity verification through SMS/ Aadhaar/ photograph.

The software and billing application has following functionalities:

• Automate retail and vans sales operations
• Enable Mobile van users to generate sales bills to customers via mobile application.
• Provide SMS notifications to beneficiaries on each transaction
• Collect feedback from beneficiaries through SMS. The SMS will also communicate about dedicated customer care with a toll-free number to address all queries/ grievances/ complaints raised by beneficiaries/consumers.