Centre can send mission to Sun, but it should first focus on onion issue in country: Saamana

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The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Friday said the Narendra Modi government can send a mission to the Sun, but it should first focus on the onion issue in the country or else the ruling party will even not realise that their 2024 Lok Sabha endeavour will go haywire.

In an editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana, the party slammed the Centre's decision to impose a 40 per cent export duty on onion.

"The people (of the country) are being engaged in new missions like Moon Mission, Sun Mission and Venus Mission. Mission Sun is all fine, but it is very much essential that the onion issue in the state stabilises," the editorial said.

Nashik, Ahmednagar and Pune districts of Maharashtra are known for their onion produce. A section of farmers has been protesting against the Centre's decision to impose a 40 per cent import duty on onion.

"You do send a mission to the Sun, but before that, you should ensure the onion issue is settled or else your mission to 2024 (Lok Sabha polls) will go haywire and you will not even realise it," he said.

Scripting history, the ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon on Wednesday.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has also planned missions to the Sun, Venus and the Gaganyaan mission which aims to send Indian astronauts to Low Earth Orbit.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has said the 40 per cent duty on onion export must be revoked and also claimed that the Union government might impose restrictions on sugar exports too.

Speaking at an event in Purandar tehsil of Pune district on Thursday, the former Union agriculture minister said it was the government's responsibility to ensure a fair price for onions.

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"For the last few days, farmers in the Nashik region have been protesting...they are demanding fair prices for their onion produce. Onions from the country are exported, but the government has imposed a 40 per cent duty on the export. It is the responsibility of the government to give a fair price to onion growers considering the input cost and it is farmers' right to demand it, but no concrete decision has been taken," he said.

The government did announce that it will procure onions at Rs 2,410 per quintal and allow export of 2 lakh tonnes, he noted, adding that in view of the input cost, the procurement price should be increased.

In any case, the 40 per cent duty on the export must be lifted, he asserted.

Pawar also claimed that the Centre is contemplating imposing restrictions on sugar exports too.

"Maharashtra is the second largest sugar-producing state. Brazil is the largest producer of sugar in the world, followed by India. Last year, due to a drought in Brazil, their sugar production decreased.

"As a result, the situation for sugarcane producers in our country was favourable and they planned to export sugar. But now the central government is thinking of imposing restrictions on sugar exports," the veteran leader said.

If this happens, no state government will be capable of giving better prices to sugarcane, Pawar said. (Agencies)