NEW DELHI, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- India's federal government approves import of 120,000 metric tonnes of onions to improve its availability in the domestic market, officials said Thursday.

The decision to import the onions, a key kitchen staple in India, was taken during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening.

"The cabinet also has given approval for import of 120,000 metric tonnes of onions," federal finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman told media during a briefing after the cabinet meeting.

Last week federal food and consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan announced that the government would import 100,000 tonnes of onions through state-run foreign trade enterprise MMTC.

The move was aimed at keeping prices of onions stable in the market.

Reports said the company has already floated a tender for buying 4,000 tonnes of the commodity from the global market.

Earlier this month onion prices in various Indian states including capital city New Delhi skyrocketed and price of 1 kg was at around 1.41 U.S. dollars.

Onions which form the main ingredient of Indian meal are otherwise sold at around 29 cents a kilogram.

The vegetable dealers attribute the price rise of onions to a shortage in domestic supply.

Officials blame late monsoon and cyclones for impacting sowing and crop arrival from main producing centers of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, thus creating a shortage in the market.

Members of India's main opposition party Congress staged a protest in New Delhi against the rising price of onions. The Congress party leaders putting onions around their necks took to roads to criticise government.