Every Bengali household knows the pre-Puja ritual. The guest list grows, the kosha mangsho and biryani plans get drawn up, and somewhere along the way someone notices that the onion basket in the kitchen is costing a lot more than it did in July. This year the Centre is trying to get ahead of that squeeze. A dedicated onion train, the Kanda Express, loaded with stock from the government’s buffer, is scheduled to roll into Kolkata on Thursday, September 24, and the onions it carries will be sold to ordinary buyers at a fixed Rs 35 a kilo in the city and its neighbouring districts.
What Has Been Announced
The Department of Consumer Affairs, which falls under the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, said in an official statement on Wednesday, September 23, that it is stepping up onion supply to West Bengal for the festive season. The key points are:
- A Kanda Express rake carrying onions from the Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) buffer stock is due in Kolkata on September 24, 2026.
- Roughly 1,400 tonnes of buffer onions have already been sold in West Bengal so far, mostly brought in by road and sold from NAFED and NCCF mobile vans at Rs 35 per kg.
- The fresh rail consignment will be distributed across Kolkata and adjoining districts, with the stated aim of improving availability before the Puja rush.
- The government is also looking at selling buffer onions through Sufal Bangla, the West Bengal government’s chain of fresh produce outlets.
The ministry says rail movement lets it shift larger quantities faster than trucks alone, which matters for a city like Kolkata that depends almost entirely on onions brought in from Maharashtra and other growing states.
Where You Can Buy Rs 35 Onions in Kolkata
According to the ministry, retail sales of buffer stock onions are already running at more than 25 points in Kolkata. The locations it named include some of the city’s best-known wholesale and retail markets:
- Koley Market, near Sealdah
- Mechua Mandi, in the Burrabazar fruit and vegetable belt
- Maniktala Market
- Rampuria Market
- Shyambazar Market
The full list of the remaining points has not been published centrally, and mobile vans tend to move between neighbourhoods, so the practical approach is to ask at your nearest large bazaar or keep an eye out for NAFED or NCCF branded vans. Buffer stock onions are also sold at Kendriya Bhandar outlets in cities where the scheme is running.
Why the Government Is Doing This Now
Onion prices in India follow a fairly predictable seasonal curve. The stored rabi crop from the spring harvest starts running low in late summer, while the fresh kharif crop does not reach markets in volume until later in the autumn. That gap usually lines up almost exactly with the festive season in the east, when demand in Bengal peaks. Add heavy monsoon rain, which damages stored stock and disrupts transport, and retail prices can jump quickly.
To smooth this out, the Centre keeps a buffer of onions bought from farmers under the Price Stabilization Fund. The planned release of that stock began nationally on August 24, 2026, through the two central cooperatives, NAFED and NCCF. Earlier Kanda Express rakes were loaded at Nashik, India’s biggest onion hub, and sent to Delhi and Chennai in late August, while Kolkata was among the first 19 cities where retail sales from trucks began. The ministry now says buffer onions have reached more than 100 cities, and that retail prices held steady or fell over the past week in 17 states and union territories, including neighbouring Bihar.
What It Means for Kolkata Households
Rs 35 a kilo is a price ceiling for the government channel, not an order that every shop must follow. Your local sabziwala will keep charging whatever the market allows. The real effect of a scheme like this is indirect: when enough cheap stock is on sale at big bazaars like Koley Market and Mechua, it becomes harder for retailers nearby to push prices up sharply, and that pressure tends to ripple outward.
The timing is also worth noting. With Mahalaya on October 10 and the main Puja days following soon after, the next two to three weeks are when families stock up for guests, bhog and home feasts. More supply arriving now, rather than in the middle of Puja week, is what gives the intervention a chance of working. Weather remains the wild card. A deep depression in the Bay of Bengal is bringing spells of rain to South Bengal this week, as we reported in our Kolkata weather update, and wet weather is exactly what spoils onions in storage and slows trucks.
Practical Tips for Buying Onions This Festive Season
- Go early in the day. Mobile van stock at popular points like Shyambazar and Maniktala can run out by late morning.
- Carry your own bag and small change or have UPI ready, since vans move quickly through queues.
- Check the onions before you pay. Buffer stock has been in storage for months, so pick firm bulbs with dry, papery skins and avoid soft or sprouting ones.
- Do not overbuy. Onions keep best in a cool, dry, airy spot, spread out rather than piled in a plastic bag, and Kolkata humidity will shorten their life.
- Watch for quantity limits. Government outlets sometimes cap how much one buyer can take so that more families benefit.
- Compare with your local market. If your neighbourhood rate is close to Rs 35, the trip to a government point may not be worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Kanda Express?
Kanda is the Hindi and Marathi word for onion. The Kanda Express is the name given to full railway rakes the government uses to move buffer stock onions in bulk from growing areas such as Nashik to major consuming cities.
When does the Kanda Express reach Kolkata?
The Department of Consumer Affairs said the rake is scheduled to reach Kolkata on September 24, 2026. The onions will then be sent to retail points in the city and nearby districts.
What is the price of government onions in Kolkata?
Rs 35 per kg when bought through NAFED and NCCF mobile vans and other government channels.
Where can I buy Rs 35 onions in Kolkata?
At more than 25 points in the city, including Koley Market, Mechua Mandi, Maniktala Market, Rampuria Market and Shyambazar Market. Sales through Sufal Bangla stores are being considered but had not been confirmed at the time of writing.
Will this bring down onion prices in every shop?
Not directly. Private shops set their own rates. The aim is to add enough supply at a low price that general market prices stay in check.
The Bottom Line
The Kanda Express is the Centre’s attempt to keep onions affordable in Kolkata through the festive season, adding rail-borne buffer stock to the 1,400 tonnes already sold across West Bengal at Rs 35 a kilo. If you live near Koley Market, Mechua, Maniktala, Rampuria or Shyambazar, cheaper onions are already within reach. For everyone else, the benefit will depend on how widely the new stock spreads and whether the weather cooperates over the next few weeks. Either way, it is worth checking the government rate before you stock up for Puja.
Sources: Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, official statement dated 23 September 2026, as reported by PTI via ThePrint and ETV Bharat (23 September 2026). Background on the national buffer stock release from DD India (1 September 2026). Festival dates cross-checked against the 2026 Durga Puja calendar for Kolkata.
Featured image: A vendor handling a crate of onions, photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash.
