The Centre on Friday said the Kanda Express, a dedicated rail rake carrying 440 tonnes of buffer onion, is expected to reach Agartala in Tripura by October 18, boosting supplies and helping rein in prices. 

The consignment is expected to improve market coverage in seven of Tripura's eight districts: Dhalai, South Tripura, Khowai, Unakoti, West Tripura, Gomati and Sepahijala. 

"First-ever Kanda Express to reach Agartala to strengthen onion availability in the North-East," the Consumer Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The move expands the government's onion distribution network in the North-East, following the movement of buffer onions to Assam through the Kanda Express. 

The ministry said the dispatch reinforces the government's commitment to improving last-mile availability and ensuring timely access to affordable onions in consumption centres across the country. So far, two Kanda Express trains carrying 840 tonnes and 452 tonnes of onions, respectively, and 44 truck consignments carrying 1,513.46 tonnes have supplied buffer onions across the North-East. 

Distribution has covered Kamrup, Guwahati, Gomati, Dimapur, Sepahijala, Kohima, Niuland and Chumoukedima in Assam, Tripura and Nagaland.

The Centre, through its nodal agencies NCCF and Nafed, holds a buffer stock of 1.21 lakh tonnes of onion for 2026. 

The agencies have been moving the stored onions in bulk from producing states to consuming centres, either by the Kanda Express or by road, as part of a retail intervention to cool prices. Under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) scheme, onions are being sold at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg in select price-sensitive cities.

With fresh Kharif arrivals gathering pace, the ministry said mandi prices have moderated across major markets. The All-India average mandi price fell from a peak of around Rs 3,600 per quintal in September to around Rs 3,300 per quintal in October. 

"The calibrated releases from the onion buffer continue to supplement market supplies, improve availability and help moderate retail prices," the ministry said. 

Over the past two weeks, 211 cities have reported a decline of Rs 1 to Rs 13 per kg in retail onion prices.

The moderation has been seen across major consuming states and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.