Winning Bizness Desk

Mumbai. Indian traders should not import onion from Afghanistan or any other country and having such a strong demand, Maharashtra State Onion Farmers Association has opposed that the central government impose a complete ban on onion import. Otherwise, the organization has warned the farmers to stop the supply of onion in the country by conducting intense agitations in the state. The letter in this regard has been given to Nashik Collector. Last week some traders in Delhi imported onions from Afghanistan. Farmers in many states including Maharashtra have abundant stock of rabi onion stored and the central government is also storing five lakh tonnes of onion through buffer stock. Farmers' onions are fetching prices in the market committee right now somewhere around the cost of production.

Onion farmers have suffered huge financial losses

In the last few years, the onion farmers have suffered huge financial losses due to the continuous fall in onion prices. Along with this, due to the central government's decision to impose export duty on onion, minimum export value on onion and then direct onion export ban, the price of onion has fallen and the farmers have lost crores of rupees. Similarly, a slight increase in the price over the past few days may bring some profit to the farmers. Farmers fear that a conspiracy is being hatched to bring down the domestic price of onion by importing onion into the country. While there were various restrictions on onion export for ten consecutive months, the government had lifted the ban on onion export in May before the Lok Sabha polls. However, due to the imposition of 40 percent export duty and five and a half hundred dollar minimum export value on onion export, the price increase of farmers' onion has been prevented. A demand has been made to the central government through the collector that the government should immediately remove this 40 percent export duty and 550 dollar minimum export value.

Warning of strong agitation

Meanwhile, the statement of demands has been given to Nashik Collector which bears signs of Bharat Dighole, Founder President of Onion Producers Association, Nashik District President Jaideep Bhadane, District Coordinator Bhagwan Jadhav, Members Vishwanath Patil, Khandu Fade etc. A warning was given at this time that the central government should immediately take both the above decisions to ban import of onion and completely remove duty on export, otherwise Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers' Association will carry out severe agitations in the entire state.