Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Ramnath Thakur, informed the Lok Sabha that the government-appointed committee investigating NAFED’s onion procurement in Nashik found no evidence of corruption involving officials.
However, the government has taken steps to improve transparency and efficiency in the procurement process under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF).
Farmers are now registering through Aadhar-based portals of NAFED, NCCF, and state agencies to sell their produce at government centers. Payments are being made directly to farmers’ Aadhar-linked bank accounts via RTGS/NEFT, ensuring secure and accurate transactions.
The committee’s report identified several key issues, including technical glitches in direct payments, a lack of awareness about procurement prices, and the effect of offloading onion stocks in October-November on market prices. Out of 4,000 farmers registered during the Rabi 2024 season, 3,300 sold their onions to NAFED.
To further streamline the process, the government is working on simplifying the registration system on the e-Peek Pahaani portal and strengthening Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to enhance procurement efficiency.
Notably, NAFED has made significant improvements, increasing its recovery rate from 45% to 63% and reducing storage losses from 25% to 15%. The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) has also appointed an independent agency to ensure the quality and quantity of stocks, enhancing transparency in the procurement system.
