As onions touch ₹62 per kg, the government blames middlemen for the price hike

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the government stepped in and bought onions from farmers in Maharashtra when prices fell. | Photo credit: PTI

Blaming “black marketing, hoarding and profiteering” for the rising price of onion across the country, the Union government on Thursday (27 Aug 2026) said the staple vegetable will be available for retail sale at a concessional price of ₹35 per kg through designated mobile vans in cities like Delhi. On Thursday (August 27), the price per kg of onion was ₹62 in the Delhi market.

Also read | The center increases the purchase price of onions by 13%

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs said the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (Nafed) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) will sell onions through their retail outlets and Kendriya Bhandars as part of price stabilization measures.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said middlemen are the reason behind the increase in onion prices and farmers should get a reasonable income while consumers should get the product at a reasonable price.

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Chouhan that onion farmers were getting a price of up to ₹1 per kg onion and demanded immediate government intervention. “It was the same case with potatoes. The government should have asked Nafed and NCCF to procure onions from farmers at a price of at least ₹10 per kg. Had they done that, this situation would not have arisen,” Mr Tikait told The Hindu.

Mr. Chouhan said the government stepped in and bought onions from farmers in Maharashtra when prices fell. “Now farmers don’t have onions with them as stocks have been sold since their end and retail prices have touched ₹60 per kg. Are farmers getting real price for their hard work? Do middlemen have the right to profit from farmers’ efforts? Government is taking action,” the minister said while addressing the event.

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Nidhi Khare alleged that prices have gone up due to black marketing, hoarding and profiteering. Adding that there is sufficient supply of onion to meet the demand during the festive season, she said the Union government is not considering a ban on onion export as there is no supply problem.

On Wednesday (August 26), the government said it had begun a calibrated and targeted release of onions from the buffer stock to ensure adequate availability and moderate seasonal price pressures in the coming months. “The intervention is being carried out through a hybrid transport model involving rail rakes and road transport, with deliveries directed to major consumer centers based on prevailing market conditions and price trends,” it said.

Published – 27 Aug 2026 22:22 IST