Guwahati, Oct 16: Tripura is set to receive its first-ever Kanda Express, carrying around 440 metric tonnes of onions, as the Centre steps up efforts to improve supplies and keep prices affordable ahead of the festive season.
The consignment, dispatched under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF), is expected to reach Agartala by October 18, the Department of Consumer Affairs said.
The move expands the Centre’s rail-based onion distribution network in the Northeast, following earlier consignments to Assam. The latest shipment is expected to strengthen supplies across seven of Tripura’s eight districts.
These include Dhalai, South Tripura, Khowai, Unakoti, West Tripura, Gomati and Sepahijala.
The Centre has so far moved buffer onions to the Northeast through two Kanda Express rail consignments carrying 840 MT and 452 MT, respectively, alongside 44 truck consignments transporting a total of 1,513.46 MT.
The supplies have reached key locations in Assam, Tripura and Nagaland, including Guwahati, Kamrup, Gomati, Sepahijala, Dimapur, Kohima, Niuland and Chumoukedima.
The expansion of rail and road distribution is aimed at improving the availability of onions in major consumption centres and supplementing supplies during periods of price pressure.
Onion prices ease as fresh arrivals pick up
Meanwhile, onion prices in wholesale markets have moderated with fresh kharif arrivals gathering pace.
The all-India average mandi price declined from a peak of around ₹3,600 per quintal in September to approximately ₹3,300 per quintal in October, according to the Department of Consumer Affairs.
The release of onions from government buffer stocks has also helped supplement market supplies, with the Centre continuing to adjust its interventions in response to prevailing prices and availability.
Retail prices have declined by ₹1 to ₹13 per kg over the past two weeks in 211 cities, the department said. The decline has been reported across several states and Union territories, including Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
In Assam, around 12 centres have recorded retail price declines ranging from ₹1 to ₹8 per kg in recent weeks.
Assam’s onion prices move closer to national average
The department also reported a substantial narrowing of the gap between retail onion prices in Assam and the all-India average over the past two years.
Two years ago, the average retail price in Assam stood at ₹61.96 per kg against the national average of ₹54.13, a difference of ₹7.83 per kg.The gap has since narrowed to ₹1.23 per kg, with Assam’s average retail price at ₹54.30 per kg compared with the all-India average of ₹53.07.
The Centre said it would continue monitoring onion prices, market arrivals and supply conditions, with further releases from buffer stocks to be guided by market requirements.
The interventions are intended to improve availability and contain excessive price fluctuations, particularly during periods of seasonal supply pressure.
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