Odisha Govt to Construct 13 Onion Godowns in 5 Districts to Combat Rising Prices

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has taken a proactive step to address the rising onion prices caused by a decline in local production and excessive reliance on imports from other states. To tackle this issue, the government plans to construct godowns in five districts of the state.

Dharitri Mishra, the general manager of the Odisha State Agricultural Marketing Board (OSAMB), announced that 13 new onion godowns will be established in the districts of Kalahandi, Bargarh, Nuapada, Angul, and Boudh.

These godowns will be strategically located in Koksara, Junagarh, Borguda, Barada, M Rampur, Bhawanipatna, and Kesinga in Kalahandi district; Bhatli and Padampur in Bargarh district; Komana in Nuapada district; Luhamunda in Angul district; and two in Boudh district.

With a total storage capacity of approximately 6,000 tonnes of onions, these godowns will be constructed with a budget of Rs 7.51 crore. Currently, the OSAMB operates only two onion godowns in the Angul and Bolangir districts of Odisha.

According to sources from the Agriculture Department, the state’s onion production stands at 4 lakh tonnes, which only meets 33% of the demand of 12 lakh tonnes. The remaining amount is sourced from traders in other states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.

This heavy reliance on external sources has led to a situation where local onions have not been available in Bhubaneswar for the past four years.

Shakti Mishra, the secretary of the Aiginia Retail Traders’ Association, pointed out that the prices of onions in Odisha’s capital are virtually controlled by farmers from Nasik.

The lack of sufficient godown facilities has deterred farmers from engaging in onion production, as currently, there are only two onion godowns in the Angul and Balangir districts. Consequently, traders are at the mercy of outside states to meet the onion demand in Odisha.