THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government will procure 100 tonnes of onions and sell them to consumers at ₹35 per kg as it moves to curb a sharp rise in prices across the state, Agriculture Minister T Siddique said.

The onions will be sourced through the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF), with an initial order for 30 tonnes to be placed immediately. The first supplies are expected to reach Kerala within two to three days.

Onion prices have risen to between ₹58 and ₹80 per kg in several markets across Kerala, prompting the government to intervene to increase supplies and contain prices.

HortiCorp, under the Agriculture Department, and Supplyco, under the Civil Supplies Department, will coordinate the distribution of the subsidised onions.

The minister attributed the price surge partly to reduced supplies reaching markets from farmers and the stocking of large quantities by wholesalers. Prices have also risen at major onion-producing centres, including Nashik in Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka.

The government said it would initially focus its intervention on markets that have recorded particularly steep price increases, including Kollamkode, Kayamkulam, Chala and North Paravur, before expanding supplies to other parts of the state.

Officials are also working to make cold-storage facilities available to manage stocks of the perishable commodity, including an Agriculture Department-controlled facility at Vazhakulam and other storage centres across Kerala.

The government expects the NCCF procurement and subsidised distribution programme to help stabilise supplies and bring down retail prices in the coming days.