Kerala launches Onam market intervention to keep essential commodity prices in check

The Kerala government has unveiled a comprehensive Onam market intervention plan featuring Supplyco trade fairs, subsidised vegetables, additional foodgrain allocations, free Onam kits and anti-hoarding measures to keep essential commodities affordable during the State's biggest harvest festival

Thiruvananthapuram: With Onam, Kerala’s biggest and most cherished harvest festival, less than a month away, the Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan-led government has unveiled an extensive market intervention plan aimed at ensuring affordable prices and uninterrupted supplies of essential commodities during the week-long celebrations that culminate in the last week of August.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob on Monday announced that the government’s annual Onam market intervention would begin with the launch of Supplyco’s Onam Trade Fairs on August 8, with Chief Minister Satheesan inaugurating the State-level fair in Ernakulam.

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Three Mega Trade Fairs will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode, while district-level fairs will be organised in the remaining 11 districts between August 16 and 25.

In addition, Onam Markets will be opened in all 126 Assembly constituencies, with special fairs planned during the final six days before Thiruvonam.

Horticorp outlets will also operate alongside the fairs, offering vegetables at subsidised rates to help contain festive price spikes.

To meet the seasonal surge in demand, the government plans to release more than 1.29 lakh metric tonnes of rice and 24,500 metric tonnes of wheat through various distribution channels.

Blue ration card holders will receive an additional three kg of rice and two kg of wheat, while all other ration card categories, including NPS and NPNS beneficiaries, will also be supplied wheat.

Beneficiaries will also be allowed to purchase their September quota of subsidised commodities in advance during August.

The government will begin distributing its popular free Onam kits, containing 16 essential food items, to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families in the first week of August.

Around Rs 53 crore has been earmarked for the scheme, which also covers inmates of welfare institutions.

To prevent hoarding and black marketing during the festive season, special squads under District Collectors will conduct intensified inspections across the State, while the Price Monitoring Cell will closely track retail prices.

The government has already sanctioned Rs 448.05 crore over the past two months for Onam kit distribution, market intervention and paddy procurement, underscoring its effort to ensure that Kerala’s biggest festival remains affordable for households amid rising prices.