Kanda Express to move onions from Lasalgaon as prices rise across India

The Indian government is using a special rail service to move onions from Lasalgaon in Nashik to major markets after a steep rise in prices. The service, named Kanda Express, is intended to improve availability and make onions available at 35 rupees per kilogram through designated government-linked outlets.

The Consumer Affairs Department said about 800 metric tonnes of onions would be transported to five major cities. The initial destinations identified for the service are Chennai, Madurai, Delhi, Ernakulam and Guwahati. Other centres may be added depending on demand.

The onions will not be sold directly from the train. Instead, NCCF, NAFED and Kendriya Bhandar stores will make the stock available to consumers at the stated rate.

Onion prices climb

On 24 August, the average retail price of onions across India reached 43.53 rupees per kilogram, according to figures attributed to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. That was a 59% rise from 27.37 rupees per kilogram a year earlier.

The average wholesale price rose 68%, reaching 35.58 rupees per kilogram compared with 21.23 rupees during the same period the previous year.

City-level prices were also higher. On Monday, onions were reported to be selling at 60 rupees per kilogram in Chennai, 55 rupees in Delhi and 53 rupees in Kolkata. In several parts of the country, retail prices had reached between 60 and 70 rupees per kilogram.

The seasonal increase usually seen around August and September can be linked in the supplied reporting to festivals, weather-related difficulties, changes in supply chains and shifting demand patterns.

Train loading and departure

Central Railway chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said loading of the onion rake had begun at Lasalgaon, with Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar named as the destination. However, local reporting cited in the material said the Kanda Express had not yet left Lasalgaon. NCCF also confirmed that the onions had not yet been dispatched and that the train’s departure had been delayed.

The Consumer Affairs Department said the service was being introduced to strengthen supplies in important markets. The department also said the government was taking time-bound steps to balance onion availability and prices while considering the interests of both consumers and farmers.

Nidhi Khare, secretary in the Consumer Affairs Department, said on X that the service would bring about 800 metric tonnes of onions to Delhi for sale through NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar stores at 35 rupees per kilogram. Her post also named Chennai, Ernakulam, Madurai and Guwahati among the initial destinations.

Expansion of the rail programme

The initiative is designed to increase logistics capacity for moving onions in large quantities. It began in 2024-25 and has since expanded.

Each recent Kanda Express train can carry onions equivalent to as many as 40 truckloads. During 2024-25, 14 railway rakes carrying about 12 thousand tonnes from the onion buffer stock were sent to five cities.

The programme was expanded in 2025-26 to 86 rakes. These are carrying about 88 thousand tonnes of onions to 16 major cities across the country.

Buffer stock behind the supplies

The onions being used for the intervention come from the government’s buffer stock, described as a strategic reserve intended to protect the market when supplies fall and prices rise quickly. The stock is maintained in different producing states under the Price Stabilisation Fund scheme.

For 2026, the government has kept about 1.21 lakh tonnes of onions in reserve. The supplied reporting also says domestic availability is expected to remain adequate in the coming months, supported by estimated 2025-26 production of 307.37 lakh tonnes. That figure is broadly comparable with the previous year’s 307.67 lakh tonnes.

The rail movement is therefore being presented as a market intervention rather than a replacement for normal supply. Its immediate purpose is to move reserve onions to selected cities and make them available at a lower fixed price through specified retail channels.

The measure has also prompted discussion about its effect on producing regions. One social-media post cited in the reporting said the movement of 840 tonnes from Lasalgaon to Delhi under the price-stabilisation scheme was intended to reduce prices in Delhi, while farmers in Nashik were concerned that it could put pressure on local prices.