Farmers protest at wholesale markets against imposition of duty on onion export

Farmers in at least three districts in Maharashtra on Sunday protested at APMCs against the Centres decision to impose a 40 per cent duty on the export of the kitchen staple reported the PTIAmid protests state Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde said that he would speak with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday and try to find some amicable solution to the issue according to the PTIA day after the Central government imposed a 40 per cent duty on the export of onions till December 31 2023 wholesale markets at Satana Malegaon and Lasalgaon In Nashik district in Ahmednagar and at Manchar and Khed in Pune district saw protests by farmersDhananjay Mundes cabinet colleague Chhagan Bhujbal said that he would raise the onion export duty issue with the state deputy chief minister and BJP leader Devendra FadnavisI will request him to discuss this with officials in Delhi We will try to take steps to find an amicable solution Chhagan Bhujbal told reporters according to the PTIA Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna SSS leader said protests will be held in wholesale markets across Maharashtra to mount pressure on the Union governmentMaharashtra Congress president Nana Patole alleged that the BJPShiv Sena government is proindustrialists and probusinessmenThe state government is trying hard to keep the prices of onions low and it doesnt care about the interests of farmers We condemn this decision to impose the export duty on onions of the Union government he saidEarlier in the day onion growers in Rahuri tehsil of Ahmednagar district halted the ongoing auction of the bulb in the wholesale marketThe Union governments antifarmer stand has again come to the fore Farmers in Maharashtra were expecting good returns from onion exports but the imposed duty has ensured that there will not be any export The prices in the domestic market will crash and farmers will incur losses said SSS state president Sandeep JagtapSeveral parts of Maharashtra have received insufficient rainfall and this will delay the arrival of fresh onions in the market he said accusing the government of protecting the interests of consumers and ignoring farmersThe Centre should also pay attention to our woes because the export duty has sent a message to traders that all the available onion is going to be sold in domestic markets only Traders have now started quoting lower prices for our produce a farmer protesting in Rahuri saidAccording to sources at Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee the largest wholesale onion market in India there was a rise of nearly 45 per cent in the prices of the kitchen staple last weekOnion was being sold at Rs 1500 per quintal two weeks ago and it jumped to Rs 2200 in just one week Now the rates have started coming down as exports have become nearly impossible a trader from Lasalgaon APMC saidwith PTI inputs