Last Updated on August 10, 2025 11:45 am by BIZNAMA NEWS
AMN
The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution announced on Friday that it will begin the phased release of its onion buffer stock in September to ensure price stability in the coming months.
This year, the government has procured 3 lakh tonnes of onions under its price stabilisation programme. Officials highlighted that, unlike in previous years, the prices of key vegetables—especially potatoes, onions, and tomatoes—have stayed largely in check during the monsoon season, aided by higher production in 2024–25 compared to last year.
The ministry noted that food commodity prices overall have remained stable or even declined on a year-on-year basis. A 14% drop in the cost of a homemade thali in July 2025 was cited as a sign of easing food inflation.
The recent surge in tomato prices in Delhi, which touched ₹85 per kg at the end of July, was attributed to heavy rains in northern and north-western India, disrupting supplies temporarily. Prices have since begun to soften as deliveries to Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi improve.
To address the spike, the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) started buying tomatoes from Azadpur on August 4 and selling them at minimal margins through outlets and mobile vans in the capital. Over 27,000 kg of tomatoes have been sold at prices between ₹47 and ₹60 per kg.
Currently, tomatoes retail in Delhi at around ₹73 per kg, compared to ₹50 in Chennai and ₹58 in Mumbai. The national average price now stands at ₹52 per kg—lower than ₹54 in 2024 and far below the ₹136 peak in 2023.