Nashik Onion Market Strike News Today: At least 15 Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in Nashik district of Maharashtra have started an indefinite strike against the sale of onion buffer stock by two central agencies in wholesale mandis in other states. The development raises the fear of shortage of the kitchen staple in retail markets and hike in prices.
On Wednesday as part of the agitation, no onion auctions were held at any of the APMCs in the district, as per TOI report.
The stalling of auctions affected trade worth around Rs 20 crore at the 15 APMCs, including at Lasalgaon, the country’s largest onion mandi, on the first day of the indefinite strike.
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Every day, over 1 lakh quintals of onions are auctioned on average at these 15 APMCs. Of this, 30,000 quintal is auctioned at Lasalgaon and its two sub-market committees.
Meanwhile, an office-bearer of the Nashik District Onion Traders Association (NDOTA) said the traders are protesting against the Union government’s recent move to increase export duty on onions up to 40 per cent, which will remain in force till December 31.
“In protest against the export duty hike decision, we have decided to shut the auction of onions in all APMCs in the district indefinitely. This (export duty hike) decision of the Centre will not only make export of onions difficult but it will also affect the onions in transit, causing huge loss to farmers,” the office-bearer said as quoted by PTI.
Onion traders wanted the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) to sell their buffer stock of onions in the retail markets or via ration shops, instead of APMCs.
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New traders may get licences from APMCs
The onion trader said that they are unable to compete as both agencies are selling the produce at a rate much lower than the current average wholesale onion prices in the Nashik district APMCs. “We also want the Centre to roll back its 40% export duty on onions,” said the onion traders as quoted by TOI.
Due to the strike, the farmers were impacted as they were unable to sell their produce to the traders at the APMCs. Some farmers’ outfits have warned the government to resolve the traders’ strike or else the farmers too would start agitations.
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What the Maharashtra govt said on the indefinite strike?
Maharashtra marketing minister Abdul Sattar, meanwhile, said that observing a bandh (shutting auctions of onions) is not right. “Secretaries in the departments of cooperation and marketing will discuss the action to be taken as per rules and Nashik district collector will take the necessary action,” Sattar said on the sidelines of an event.
Speaking on the matter, Nashik district collector Jalaj Sharma said the state agriculture and market department held a meeting on the issue on Wednesday and it has been decided that action would be taken against those not participating in the auction.
“Issues related to Nafed and export duty are connected to the Centre’s decisions, but the issues related to the state will be sorted out shortly. We want all the traders to start onion auctions at the earliest,” stated Sharma.
“We had a meeting with onion traders on Monday. We told them not to go on a strike as the marketing minister had invited them for a meeting on September 26. But without waiting for the meeting, they started the indefinite strike on Wednesday,” he added as quoted by TOI.
District deputy registrar (DDR) of the cooperative department, Faiyyaz Mulani, said he has written to the managements of all the 15 mandis and directed them to take all necessary measures to restart the onion auction. “The APMCs have been told to issue licences to new traders who are ready to participate in the auctions. Moreover, they have been told to take legal action against traders who are not participating in onion auctions. The licences of the traders are to be cancelled if they refuse to participate,” said Mulani.
An official from Lasalgaon APMC said they have received a letter from the cooperative department about the recommencement of onion auctions and legal action against the traders. “We have called a meeting of the traders and APMC directors on Thursday. We urge them to start the auction. The cooperative department has told us to issue licences to new traders. We will discuss the matter in the meeting,” said an APMC official as quoted by TOI.
President of Maharashtra onion growers’ association Bharat Dighole said that the farmers are finally affected whether it is a policy by the government or a strike by traders. He further said that only onion traders in Nashik district are on strike.
“Onion auctions at other APMCs in the state are continuing. If they want to fight, all onion traders should go on a strike and not release their stock,” said Dighole.
