The Centre has said no irregularities have been reported in onion procurement operations in Maharashtra, highlighting a series of digital and operational reforms undertaken through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF).
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution B.L. Verma said the government procured 2.87 lakh tonnes of onions during 2025-26 under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) and has fixed a procurement target of 2 lakh tonnes for 2026-27.
He said onions are procured through registered cooperative societies, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies selected through transparent competitive bidding. Farmers’ details are verified through the Mahabhumi portal of the Maharashtra Government, while payments are made directly into Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts.
The Minister said procurement operations are closely monitored through field inspections by ministry officials, with reports uploaded on a digital portal. Payments made through both NAFED and NCCF have been unified on the SBI DigiGov portal, integrated with the Public Finance Management System (PFMS), ensuring transparency and timely reconciliation.
Verma also highlighted operational improvements in onion logistics. Railway transportation, introduced in 2024-25, was expanded from 14 rakes carrying about 12,000 MT to 86 rakes transporting around 86,000 MT to 16 major consumption centres during 2025-26. The recovery rate of Grade-A onions also improved from 63% to 72%.
To further strengthen buffer stock operations in 2026-27, the government has entrusted the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) with onion storage, separating procurement from storage to improve efficiency and professionalism in the storage ecosystem.
