The Center has purchased 2.50 lakh tonnes of onions for the buffer in 2022–2023, shattering previous records. In comparison to the 2.0 lakh tonnes created during 2021–2022, the onion buffer size in the present year is 0.50 lakh tonnes larger. To provide a cushion for price stabilisation, onions from the most recent rabi harvest were purchased.
The stocks came from farmers in the rabi onion-growing regions of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh via Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), according to the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).
To moderate price rises, the stocks will be released through targeted open market sales and also offered to states/UTs and government agencies for supplies through retail outlets during the lean months (Aug - Dec). Open market releases will be targeted at states/cities where prices have risen in the previous month, as well as key mandis to increase overall availability.
The price stabilization buffer aims to provide remunerative prices to onion farmers while also increasing the availability of onions at affordable prices to consumers. Onion is a semi-perishable vegetable, and post-harvest losses due to physiological weight loss, rotting, sprouting, and other factors are estimated to be significant.
Rabi onions harvested between April and June account for 65 percent of India's onion production and meet consumer demand until the Kharif crop is harvested between October and November. It is therefore critical to successfully store onion in order to ensure a consistent supply.
The Department of Consumer Affairs has announced a Grand Challenge for the development of "Technologies for Primary Processing, Storage, and Valorisation of Onions" to address post-harvest losses of onions, including losses due to sub-optimal storage and processing. The Department of Consumer Affairs is working with students, researchers, and start-ups to create a strategy for reducing onion post-harvest losses.
The Grand Challenge on Onions invites students (UG/PG/Diploma), research scholars, faculty members, start-ups, and other individuals with an interest in onions to submit efficient and cost-effective solutions for reducing onion waste. There are four challenge verticals: improvements in storage structure design, pre-harvesting stage, primary processing, and valorization: value addition and utilization of onion waste.
The challenge was introduced in three stages. The proposed technical solution will be evaluated at three stages (Ideation to Proof-of-Concept stage, Proof of Concept to Product stage, and Field implementation), with attractive prize money for shortlisted participants at each stage.
