Farmer unloading onions during auction at Lasalgaon APMC
Buffer stock under stress Centre had set a summer onion procurement target of 2 lakh tonnes, but Nafed and NCCF could together procure only about 1.20 lakh tonnes, far below the goal. More than 90% of the buffer stock this year is estimated to have come from the Nashik region alone, which usually accounts for over 80% of total procurement. Nashik district, India’s largest onion-producing region, has a storage capacity of nearly 24 lakh tonnes, but only about 25% of the stock remains with farmers in their storage facilities, according to agriculture department officials.
Nashik : An estimated 30% of the 1.2 lakh tonnes of summer onions procured by two central agencies this year has already been damaged as a result of rotting and sprouting, a senior Nafed official told TOI on Wednesday, as the first special onion train, Kanda Express, departed Lasalgaon for Delhi around 3.30pm carrying 500 tonnes of onions from the Centre’s buffer stock.
Sources said similar onion trains were being planned for Kolkata and Chennai within the next two to three days as authorities attempted to improve supplies across major consumption centres and curb price escalation. “The supply situation is being further complicated by rapid depletion of onions held in farmers’ storage facilities, besides 30% procured produce lost to rotting and sprouting,” the Nafed official said. Traders, however, warned that if the current storage cycle was disrupted by excessive spoilage and premature stock depletion, supply could diminish further putting pressure pressure on onion prices in coming months. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Nashik | Silver Rate in Nashik | Bank Holidays in Nashik | Public Holidays in Nashik | Petrol Price in Nashik | Diesel Price in Nashik | CNG Price in Nashik | LPG Price in Nashik
Officials warned that continued deterioration and reduced shelf life could result in available stocks being exhausted by late Sept or early Oct, well before the arrival of fresh supplies.