TN to Sell Onions at ₹35/Kg Across 8,739 Urban Ration Shops

The Tamil Nadu government will sell onions at ₹35 per kg through 8,739 ration shops across urban areas from September 3 to curb soaring market prices, Food Minister P Venkataramanan announced in the state assembly on Tuesday.

The initiative will cover approximately 80 lakh family cardholders in its initial phase, with each family eligible to purchase one kilogram of onions. To facilitate the rollout, the state government has procured 1,000 tonnes of onions through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation.

The market intervention comes as onion prices have climbed to ₹56–₹60 per kg in the open market. The minister attributed the price hike to elevated transport costs, adverse weather conditions, and a decline in fresh arrivals from key producing states including Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

In addition to fair price shops, the subsidised onions will be made available through cooperative wholesale outlets, primary cooperative marketing societies, and Amudham stores located in urban centres. Venkataramanan confirmed that the administration will procure additional stocks if demand persists.

The minister stated that the government is actively tracking the prices of essential commodities. As part of this oversight, authorities have decided to convene the price monitoring committee every three months, allowing the panel to recommend timely market interventions via cooperative institutions whenever necessary.