Farmers protest price drop, briefly halt onion auctions at Lasalgaon in Maharashtra's Nashik

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Farmers in Nashik, briefly halted auctions at the Lasalgaon Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) on Thursday, the country's largest wholesale onion market due to drop in onion prices, reported news agency PTI.

The farmers were protesting the significant decline in onion prices, which have been falling steadily in recent days.

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The farmers demanded removal of the 20 per cent export duty on onions and an aid of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per quintal of the produce, the APMC officials said, reported PTI.

Approximately 1,500 onion-laden vehicles arrived for auction on Thursday. The morning session saw prices ranging from a minimum of Rs 800 to a maximum of Rs 2,900 per quintal, with an average price of Rs 1,900.

When auctioneers announced prices between Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500 per quintal, farmers immediately stopped the auction in protest. Later, the prices improved slightly.

The agitation was called off after about half-an-hour and the auctions restarted, stated PTI.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar urged the central government to remove 20 per cent export duties and provide relief to the growers.

In a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Pawar highlighted the farmers' distress, noting that unseasonal rains and changing climate have already impacted their earnings.

"The onions grown here (in Nashik) are available in other states of India and also exported in large quantities. As of today, onions from the summer yield have been exhausted and the fresh crop has reached various market committees in Maharashtra," Pawar wrote.

Due to the arrival of a large stock of onions, farmers are now in distress as they are forced to sell their produce at a much lower rate since they have yet to receive any minimum support price, said Pawar. They are selling onions at an average of Rs 2,400 per quintal, Pawar said.

The Centre has levied a 20 per cent duty on the export of onions due to which the kitchen staple from the state loses its competitiveness in international markets, according to farmers, stated PTI.

On Wednesday, 1,950 vehicles of onions arrived at the Lasalgaon APMC. The prices were Rs 800 per quintal minimum, Rs 2,801 per quintal maximum and Rs 1,950 per quintal average.

Prior to that, on Tuesday, 1,689 vehicles of onions arrived for auction at the APMC, with the prices being Rs 1,000 per quintal minimum, Rs 3,252 per quintal maximum and Rs 2,200 per quintal average, as per officials. PTI

(With inputs from PTI)