Kanda Express carrying 800 tonnes onions reaches Delhi at Rs 35/kg

The first 'Kanda Express' carrying 800 tonnes of onions will reach Delhi on Wednesday, where it will be sold at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg through Nafed, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar stores, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said. The government is also dispatching bulk onions via railway rakes to Chennai, Ernakulam, Madurai and Guwahati from its buffer stock at Nashik.

The all-India average retail price of onions has risen 59% year-on-year to Rs 43.53 per kg as of August 24, from Rs 27.37 a year ago, according to government data. Among major cities, retail onion prices stood at Rs 60 per kg in Chennai, Rs 55 per kg in Delhi and Rs 53 per kg in Kolkata. The Kanda Express initiative, launched in 2024-25, has expanded from 14 rakes carrying 12,000 tonnes to five cities last year to 86 rakes carrying about 88,000 tonnes to 16 cities this year.

Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the Delhi government will procure onions from NAFED and sell them at the same rate. The government has maintained a buffer stock of about 1.21 lakh tonnes for 2026, with estimated 2025-26 production of 307.37 lakh tonnes, broadly on par with the previous year.