NCCF starts onion sale at Rs 19/kg in Delhi-NCR

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) has started subsidised retail sale of onions at Rs 19 per kg in Delhi-NCR, well below the prevailing market price of Rs 25-35 per kg.

Onion retailing will be done through mobile vans operating across the Delhi-NCR region at 16 locations, including INA Market, R K Puram, Model Town, and Shalimar Bagh.

Onion will also be sold at NCCF’s retail store at Nehru Place and outlets located in major metro stations like Udyog Bhawan, Rajeev Chowk and Patel Chowk, the cooperative said in a statement.

NCCF is selling onions sourced from Nashik, Maharashtra, and stored in controlled-atmosphere (CA) cold storage using a newly developed irradiation technology recommended by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). The new technology has been piloted to reduce storage losses and stabilise supply.

"After four months of storage at the CA cold store, the Grade A rabi onions, pink in colour and known for their sweeter taste compared to the red Kharif variety, remain intact in quality," NCCF Chairman Vishal Singh said.

The cooperative is selling onions on behalf of the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry and the initiative aims to protect consumers from soaring prices while ensuring farmers receive fair returns.

NCCF has earlier undertaken a similar market intervention in tomatoes by retailing at Rs 40 per kg when the ongoing market price was ranging from Rs 60 to Rs 80 per kg, which was causing a major drain on consumers’ pockets, NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra.

NCCF plans to sell various food products under its brand ‘Janah’, sourced from farmers’ enterprises, of high quality, and available at affordable prices to consumers.

The cooperative is selling subsidised onions at Model Town, Yamuna Vihar, Wazirabad, Shalimar Bagh, INA market, Sangam Vihar, Badarpur Border, Okhla, Dhaula Kaun, Moti Bagh, R K Puram, Sarojini Nagar, Vikaspuri, Karolbagh, Punjabi Bagh and Krishi Bhawan. PTI LUX LUX MR