Onion Express Arrives at Tondiarpet Goods Shed With 840 Tonnes of Produce

The 24-wagon 'Onion Express', transporting 840 metric tonnes of onions from Nashik in Maharashtra, arrived at the Tondiarpet goods shed in Chennai around 9:30 am on Monday. The consignment arrived as part of government measures to curb rising market prices across the city.

With onion retail rates currently hovering between Rs 60 and Rs 65 per kilogram, the state government plans to sell the procured stock at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kilogram. The produce will be distributed through select cooperative stores and urban fair price shops, with the official start date of the sale expected to be announced on Tuesday.

After arriving at the Tondiarpet goods shed, the onions are being unloaded and transported to warehouses managed by the Cooperation and Civil Supplies departments before supply to retail points.

This shipment marks the second time bulk transportation of onions to Chennai has been facilitated by Union government agencies, including the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF). The central government previously facilitated a similar train shipment to Chennai in October 2024.

According to officials from the food and cooperation departments, the CWC served as the nodal agency to transport the produce directly from NAFED and NCCF warehouses, which source onions straight from farmers in Maharashtra. The Tamil Nadu government has planned to procure a total of 1,000 metric tonnes of onions as an immediate intervention to bring down prices.

NAFED and NCCF procure the produce using the price stabilisation fund of the Union government's Department of Consumer Affairs. In turn, the state government allocates approximately Rs 60 crore annually to the cooperation department as a price stabilisation fund for essential commodities, which will be used to reimburse the procurement costs.

Officials confirmed that the stock will be retailed through 64 farm fresh cooperative stores, cooperative supermarkets, and designated fair price shops across urban areas. Authorities are currently finalising the exact retail locations along with other essential commodities, including rice and sugar, that will be offered alongside the onions.