NAFED invites bids for 15,000 tonne onion from importers

The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) has invited bids from importers for supply of 15,000 tonne of red onion by November 20 to boost domestic availability and check price rise.

The cooperative has asked bidders to supply 40-60 mm size of red onion from any country of origin at Rs 50 per kg by November 20. They can bid for a minimum quantity of 2,000 tonne to be supplied in multiple lots of 500 tonne, the tender said. The bidding will close on November 4 and received bids will be opened on the same day. Shipments are to be delivered at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Kandla Port, it added.

According to senior officials of NAFED, tenders have been floated for supply of 15,000 tonne of imported red onions to help increase the domestic supply situation. The bids will be evaluated based on volumes, quality and early date of shipment. Bidders have to supply fresh, well dried and cured onions, officials said. Last week, NAFED MD Sanjeev Kumar Chadha had said the government is left with 25,000 tonne of onions.

For the current year, the cooperative purchased about 1 lakh tonne of onion for the buffer and the same is being offloaded now. “So far, 43,000 tonne of onion has been disposed of from the buffer stock. After some wastage, about 25,000 tonne is left, which will be available till the first week of November,” Chadha said in a press conference where the government announced the stock limits on onion traders to check price rise.