Pune/Nashik: The Centre has relaxed the quality specifications for onion procurement by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF), a move expected to boost purchases from farmers in Nashik.Mumbai, India - May 6, 2020: Resident govandi gather for to buy onions in the market, during the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. (Photo by Satish Bate/Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT Photo)The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) took the decision after procurement by the two agencies remained far below expectations. In the past fortnight, NAFED and NCCF together procured only 1.55 lakh metric tonnes of onions against a target of 2 lakh metric tonnes.Senior DoCA officials reviewed the procurement situation at a meeting in New Delhi on June 2 with representatives of NAFED, NCCF and the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), which is responsible for storing onions procured by the two agencies.According to sources in the procurement agencies, stringent quality norms had resulted in a high rejection rate of onions brought by farmers for procurement. The agencies presented their concerns and recommendations during the meeting.Following the discussions, DoCA issued an office memorandum on June 2 detailing the revised procurement norms. The memorandum was signed by Muskan Jain, assistant director in the department’s Price Monitoring Division.Under the revised guidelines, the specifications for Grade A onions have been relaxed. The permissible bulb diameter has been widened from 45-65 mm to 35-70 mm.“A decision was taken to relax the Grade A specifications for onion bulbs from 45-65 mm to 35-70 mm diameter in order to facilitate faster procurement without compromising the shelf life of Grade A onions,” a Nashik district administration official said, requesting anonymity.In another significant decision, NAFED and NCCF have been permitted to procure onions under a new category termed Grade under Relaxed Specifications (URS). This category includes onions with up to 40% staining or discolouration on the surface and up to 10% sunburn damage.The Centre has also allowed NAFED to open additional procurement centres in rural parts of Nashik district that are currently not covered under the procurement drive.“A sizable section of farmers will now be able to sell their produce to the two agencies even if it does not meet the earlier Grade A specifications,” an official said.