THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : With onion prices spiraling beyond control in the state, the govt stepped up efforts to up its availability and stablise prices. A 460-ton load is expected to touch down in a week’s time.
300 tons will be offloaded at Civil Supplies for Supplycos and another 160 at Agri Dept for distribution through Horticorp. With this, onions will become available at Rs 65 a kilo.
Onions arriving from Mumbai will be funneled through Supplyco and Horticorp units across the state.
Onion prices have skyrocketed throughout the country. The inflation, the Centre claims, is triggered by flooding in the northern states where tens of hundreds of acres of crops have been destroyed by rains.
Onions priced Rs 46 – 45 a month ago rose to Rs 142 at Chala wholesale market and Rs 160 in retail.
Supplyco imported 40 tons to ease the rates. However with continued shortfall at Civil Supplies, there is acute shortage of the vegetable throughout the state.
In a video conference earlier, the Ministry for Food and Civil Supplies agreed to reach 300 ton onions to the state. As per the decision, 40 tons of the vegetable will arrive each week and will be distributed through Horticorp network in the state, Minister For Civil Supplies VS Sunil Kumar said.
The Civil Supplies is also inspecting warehouses, to check hoarding. The Legal Metrology division of Civil Supplies carries out these raids.
