With onion prices reaching Rs 70 per kilogram (kg) in the market, the Odisha government on Wednesday said it has asked the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) to sell the vegetable at the rate of Rs 30 per kg in the state.

State Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister K C Patra attributed the price rise to the market situation at Nasik in Maharashtra from where the onions are procured.

Onions are not produced in Odisha and hence, the state is dependent on other states. Prices of onion and garlic are high outside the state and it has contributed to the price rise here. We have asked (NAFED) to sell onions at Rs 30 per kg in Odisha,” the minister told reporters.

According to traders, Odisha imports onions from Nashik in Maharashtra and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.