New Delhi, Jun 1 (PTI) The government has raised the procurement price for onions under its buffer stock programme by 24.4 per cent to Rs 15.80 per kg from Rs 12.70 per kg, citing market dynamics and the need to protect farmers.
“We increased the procurement price of onion to Rs 15.80 per kg from Rs 12.70 per kg,” said Anupam Mishra, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs, at an inter-ministerial briefing on Monday.
Onion procurement for the current season commenced on May 15, with the revised price notified on May 22.
The buffer stocks are maintained annually under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) for market intervention purposes. The government has set a procurement target of 2 lakh tonnes for the year, down from 3 lakh tonnes procured in 2025-26.
On the pulses front, Mishra said buffer stocks have reached an all-time high of 43 lakh tonnes in May — more than double the 18 lakh tonnes recorded in May 2025 and well above the 21 lakh tonnes in May 2024.
Procurement under the Price Support Scheme (PSS), which is triggered when mandi prices fall below the minimum support price (MSP), has so far yielded 5.34 lakh tonnes of tur and 20.35 lakh tonnes of chana.
Rising domestic production has curtailed import dependence. Pulse imports declined nearly 30 per cent to 60 lakh tonnes in 2025-26 from 73 lakh tonnes the previous year. Chana imports fell sharply, by 51 per cent, from 15.06 lakh tonnes in 2024-25 — even as the free import policy for pulses remains in force.
The inter-ministerial briefing was convened in the context of the recent developments in West Asia and addressed concerns around food and fertiliser security.
Mishra noted that key pulse-supplying nations — Myanmar, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Canada, Australia, and Brazil — are not directly affected by the West Asia situation, limiting supply-side risks.
