New Delhi, July 20 -- With onion prices beginning to climb ahead of the festive and wedding season, the Centre plans to start a calibrated release of onions from its buffer stock from September to bridge the seasonal supply gap before substantial fresh kharif arrivals reach markets, according to two people aware of the development.

The intervention is aimed at ensuring adequate availability of onions during the high-consumption period stretching from Durga Puja through the end of December, when demand typically rises because of major festivals and the peak wedding season.

The move assumes significance as onion prices have started firming up across the country. While the all-India average retail price remains below crisis levels, retail ...