Govt plans many onion stocking centres

The plan being discussed with the ministry of agriculture comes amid a steady dip in the production of onion

- Dhirendra Kumar

With onion shortages becoming a perennial headache, the government is working on a plan to create stockholding centres across different parts of the country to reduce its dependency on a single centre -Nashik in Maharashtra-for buffers, two people involved in the process said.

Once the plan takes shape, the move is expected to help check the rise in prices of the bulbous crop during times of shortage and ensure the kitchen essential is available to all households.

By establishing regional stockholding centres, the plan seeks to address supply chain vulnerabilities caused by centralization, said the first among the two people mentioned above.