NEW DELHI, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- A panel led by India's consumer affairs ministry has decided that onions will be imported through a government agency to increase availability in the market on moderate prices, officials said Friday.
"The meeting of price stabilisation fund management committee (PSFMC) headed by secretary, Consumer Affairs, Shri Avinash K Srivastava was held in New Delhi yesterday," a ministry official said.
"In the meeting, decision was taken to import onions through government agency to augment the availability of onions in market and to moderate prices."
Officials said the committee also decided that the national agricultural cooperative marketing federation (NAFED) and the small farmers agribusiness consortium (SFAC) would procure 10,000 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes of onions, respectively, from the producing areas including Delhi and supply it to consuming areas to enhance its availability and to help moderate prices.
Onion prices have long been a sensitive political issue in India. A sharp rise in their prices in the past in India has even resulted in the government being toppled.
Analysts say surge in onion prices gets authorities worried in India.
