New Delh: The federal government has directed the NCCF and the NAFED to start out shopping for 5 lakh tonnes of onion for the nation’s buffer requirement straight from farmers because the Rabi-2024 harvest has begun arriving available in the market, the Meals Ministry stated on Tuesday.
Authorities procurement businesses NAFED and NCCF have been instructed to pre-register the onion farmers to make sure that funds for the produce are transferred to their financial institution accounts by way of Direct Profit Switch.
Rabi onion crop is important for the nation’s onion availability because it contributes 72 -75 per cent of annual manufacturing within the nation. The Rabi onion can also be essential for making certain year-round availability of onion because it has a greater shelf life in comparison with the Kharif onion and might be saved for provides until November-December.
The Division of Client Affairs had, by way of NAFED and NCCF, bought about 6.4 lakh metric tonnes of onion throughout 2023-24 for buffer stocking in addition to intervention by the use of simultaneous procurement and disposal. The continual procurements by NAFED and NCCF had assured remunerative costs for onion farmers all by way of 2023.
Subsequently, the Division of Client Affairs adopted the retail sale intervention for making onion out there to shoppers by way of stores and cellular vans operated by NCCF, NAFED, Kendriya Bhandar and different State managed cooperatives at a subsidised worth of Rs.25 per kg throughout final yr. The well timed intervention and calibrated launch ensured the stabilisation of retail costs successfully with out impacting the earnings of farmers.
The worldwide provide situation and dry spell induced by El Nino necessitated the federal government to take up coverage measures to manage onion exports throughout FY 2023-24. These measures included a 40 per cent responsibility on onion exports imposed on August 19, 2023, imposition of a Minimal Export Value (MEP) of USD 800 per MT with impact from October 29, 2023, and export prohibition w.e.f. December 8, 2023, to make sure the supply of onion to home shoppers at reasonably priced costs.
The current choice to increase onion export prohibition has been necessitated by the general home availability towards the prevailing worldwide costs and world availability considerations.
In the meantime, the federal government has allowed exports to neighbouring international locations that depend on India for his or her home consumption necessities. These international locations embrace Bhutan (550 MT), Bahrain (3,000 MT), Mauritius (1,200 MT), Bangladesh (50,000 MT) and the UAE (14,400 MT i.e. 3,600 MT/ quarter).
