Agri cooperatives such as Nafed and NCCF may not be in best of health themselves but Government has no option other than depending on them. The rising price of onion has again goaded government to look up to these agri cooperatives.
The government has directed cooperatives—Nafed and NCCF– to sell the kitchen staple at a subsidized rate of Rs 20 per kg from their outlets in the national capital on Monday.
Direction to this effect was given by Food and Consumer Affairs Minister K V Thomas after a meeting to review onion prices on Monday evening, an official statement said.
While agri-cooperative Nafed has six outlets in Delhi, the NCCF (National Consumer Cooperative Federation) has 15 such centres.
Onion prices have risen to Rs 25 a kg in retail in Delhi and NCR, from Rs 20 a kg around August 15. Onion prices, which contributed to inflation moving to double digit number after a gap of five months at 10.05 per cent for the week ended August 20, have been showing a rising trend across the country due to delayed monsoon in key producing regions of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
R P Gupta, Director of NHRDF (National Horticultural Research Development Foundation, set up by Nafed) said sowing of onion in major producing regions of Maharashtra and Gujarat have got delayed by almost a month due to late arrival of monsoon.
Both Nafed and Nccf are facing host of corruption charges with CBI and CVO sleuths constantly keeping the officials on its toes.
Last year when onion price went sky rocketing to Rs 80-85 a kg in the retail, it was these two agri cooperatives which stood government in good stead.
