First load of 27 tonnes onion procured by Kerala government arrives

With onion prices skyrocketing, the first load of about 27 tonnes procured from Nafed reached Kerala on Friday from Nasik in Maharashtra, as the Left government intervened to bring down the price of the kitchen staple during the festive season.

While onions were being sold between Rs 90 and Rs 100 a kg last week, shallots were priced at Rs 120 a kg in many retail outlets in the southern state.

Also Read: Onion price skyrockets in Mangaluru, leaves consumers in tears

It is due to this that the state government decided to procure about 100 tonnes of onions from NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation)this month.

The onions reached Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode this morning from where it would be distributed to consumers through major outlets of Horticrop (Kerala Horticulture Products Development Corporation), Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar said.

The government was hopeful that through Hortcorp outlets the onions can be sold to customers between Rs 45 and Rs 50 a kg, he said.