India cuts onion stockholding by 50%

To check onion hoarding, the central government in New Delhi decided to reduce by 50 per cent the stock limit for the wholesale and retail traders to 25 tonnes and 5 tonnes, respectively.

According to the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution order, onion wholesalers would no longer be able to stock more than 25 tonnes of onions and retail traders 5 tonnes.

The order has come into force with immediate effect. But the new rule will not apply to importers, it was decided at a meeting, chaired by Secretary in the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs Avinash Kumar Srivastava.

To check the skyrocketing prices of onion, on September 30 the central government had fixed onion stock limit for the wholesale and retail traders at 50 tonnes and 10 tonnes, respectively.

While the wholesale price has crossed Rs80 per kg in Delhi’s Azadpur mandi, at retail outlets it was being sold at Rs 80-130 a kg in Delhi-NCR markets.

The state Chief Secretaries have been asked to monitor the demand-supply situation of onions at the district level and to take strict action against the onion hoarders.

Meanwhile the Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed an uproar followed by cross allegations between the treasury and opposition benches, mainly the Congress, on issues of Onion price rise and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman.

The ruckus began during Zero Hour of the House with the Congress raising issue of price rise while the treasury benches hit back at the party over its Leader of House Chowdhury’s remarks against Modi, Shah and Sitharaman.

Indo-Asian News Service