Farmers Movement Archive

483 tonnes of onion seized from poultry farms

TRICHY: CID sleuths from civil supplies department have seized 483 tonnes of onions hoarded in four different poultry farms in Perambalur district on Monday. While the price of onion skyrocketing, the hoarding is suspected as a ploy to create artificial demand and escalate the price of onions ahead of Diwali. Civil supplies CID sources said that they received a complaint from Irur and Chathiramanai village administrative officers about illegal hoarding. The vegetable was found stocked in four poultry farms which were not functioning. As per the Essential Commodities Act, 2020, vendors are allowed to stock only 25T of onions. Based on an alert, civil supplies CID wing police from Trichy inspected the farms and estimated the hoarded onion to be 483 MT. Four people were booked under the Essential Commodities Act. “We are yet to ascertain the purpose of hoarding such a huge quantity. Inquiry is under way,” C Nallu, DSP, civil supplies CID, told TOI. Although small onions are cultivated in Perambalur, large onions are not cultivated in the district. While onions are sold at Rs 60 to Rs 80 per kg based on the quality, the price is expected to surge before Diwali. “The seized onion will be utilized for the public distribution system. Food safety department will have to certify the quality,” the DSP added. The onions at the poultry farms are being guarded by the police.

The Times of India

2020-11-10

Trichy