Belong to a family that does not eat onion: Sitharaman during Lok Sabha debate

Not personally worried about onion price hike; govt taking steps to check prices: FM

PTI12_4_2019_000053A Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman | PTI

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said in the Lok Sabha that she comes from a family that does not consume onions and hence, has been hardly affected by the current hike in its prices. "I don't eat a lot of onions and garlic, so don't worry. I belong to a family which does not eat onion and garlic," Sitharaman said in response to a question from Lok Sabha MP and NCP leader Supriya Sule on fall in onion production in the country. 

However, she went on to explain that the government has taken several steps to check rising prices of onion and has initiated steps to improve technology for better storage of the kitchen staple. She said the government has taken several steps to check rising prices of onion include ban on exports, imposition of stock limit, import and transfer of onion from surplus to deficit area.

Prices of onion in many places have crossed Rs 100 per kg because of less production.

"I must say, from 2014, I have also been part of some of the group of ministers, which monitored the ups and downs in onion markets. Sometimes when there was surplus of crop we have also facilitated by giving support to those people who want to export it. I have overnight past orders for helping with 5-7 per cent assistance for exporting," she said.

Attributing shortage to low production, the minister said there are severe structural problems related to onions.

"One is we don't have scientifically advanced methods of storing...So that is one of the things, so we need to have greater scientific storage facility for onions we have started working on it...then also to give better storage capacities within that region particularly around Lasalgaon," she said.

(With PTI inputs)