Ahead of Diwali, Kanda Express brings 840 MT of onions to Delhi to ease retail prices

To ensure ample availability and stabilise retail onion prices, 840 Metric tonnes (MT) of onions, procured by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) under the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF), has arrived at Delhi’s Kishanganj Railway Station for distribution across the National Capital Region. Most of the stock will be released in Delhi’s Azadpur mandi to boost market supply, while a portion will be sold at ₹35 per kg in retail.

This shipment marks the second arrival by rail to Delhi-NCR, following the National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF)’s delivery of 1,600 MT on October 20 via Kanda Express, named after the Marathi word for “onion.” According to government data, onion prices at the Nashik mandi have dropped from ₹47 per kg on September 24 to ₹40 per kg as of October 29.

Bulk transportation of onions by rail rakes has been adopted to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery to various regions. NAFED recently transported another 840 MT of onions to Chennai, arriving on October 26, and dispatched a fresh batch to Guwahati today to curb rising prices in northeastern India.

The government procured 4.7 lakh metric tons (LMT) of rabi onions for the stabilization buffer this year and began retail and bulk sales in major mandis on September 5.

To date, over 1.40 LMT of buffer onions have been dispatched from Nashik and other centers to consuming regions by truck. NCCF has covered 104 destinations across 22 states, and NAFED has reached 52 destinations in 16 states. The agencies have also collaborated with retail chains such as SAFAL, Kendriya Bhandar, and Reliance Retail to offer onions at ₹35 per kg. Additionally, 86,500 MT of onions has been allocated to nine state governments/cooperative societies for retail distribution.