Kolkata:(IANS) With onion prices across West Bengal soaring to between Rs. 60-75 a kg in the retail market, the state government on Monday said it will sell the edible bulb at discounted prices through the fair price vegetable shops.
State Horticulture Minister Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury said onions will be made available at a price which will be at least Rs.10-15 less than the market rate.
The state’s ruling Trinamool Congress said, on its official website, that the state government will also deploy mobile vans at different markets of the city for selling onions at a faire price.
“Soon, onions at fair price will be made available in the district markets,” the party said.
Agricultural Marketing Minister Arup Roy said he is also considering importing onions from south India and efforts are on to stop stockpiling of onion.
“Prices of onion is soaring because of the untimely rains in the onion producing areas. Even our own produce in the state has been hit because of waterlogging in recent times. We are looking into measures to control it,” agro and allied sector advisor to the chief minister, Pradip Mazumdar, told IANS.
The state scantily produces onions and imports it mainly from Maharashtra’s Nashik.
Prices of the vegetable has skyrocketted across India, even reaching up to Rs.90 a kg in some markets.
In another report Govt aiming to make land available for fresh investments, the West Bengal government has formed a nine-member group of ministers (GoM) to look out for ways to free land from closed industrial units near Kolkata.
“The nine-member GoM will look into different aspects of the closed industries in the state. But the primary objective will be to free land of closed industrial units and invite fresh investments on the prime plots,” the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress said on its official website.
The GoM consists of the Finance and Industries Minister Amit Mitra, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, Law Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, Power Minister Manish Gupta, Labour Minister Malay Ghatak, Agriculture Minister Purnendu Bose, Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee and Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar who hold the environment portfolio.
The government claimed to have recently freed nearly 200 acres in Kalyani in Nadia district from 11 closed units.