Auctions At Some APMCs In Nashik Remain Disrupted, Traders And Farmers Demand Export Duty Rollback

However, auctions were still conducted at the Vinchur sub-committee of Lasalgaon APMC. Onion prices in the auction ranged from Rs 800 to Rs 2,360, with an average of Rs 2,150 per quintal. 

Farmers and traders continued their protests against the export duty on onions. The onion auctions at most Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) across Nashik district in Maharashtra were closed for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, with the traders seeking to overturn the export duty hike.

According to a PTI report, auctions in certain Maharashtra regions, including the Lasalgaon APMC, were halted by the farmers and traders. Lasalgaon is the biggest wholesale onion market in Asia. Notably, a group of representatives of traders-exporters and farmers held a meeting in Nashik city, chaired by district collector Jalaj Sharma. The traders have decided to not take part in auctions till the government takes back the 40 per cent export duty it has imposed on onions.

The traders and farmers group stated that they will not take part in the auctions till the government allows the thousands of tonnes of onions stranded at Mumbai and other ports, including the ones on the Bangladesh border, to go ahead without any export duty. 

The report noted that auctions, though, were still conducted at the Vinchur sub-committee of Lasalgaon APMC. Onion prices in the auction ranged from Rs 800 to Rs 2,360, with an average of Rs 2,150 per quintal. 

Earlier on August 19, the government announced a 40 per cent export duty on onions to protect the domestic supply and keep a tab on prices. It later decided to keep an additional 2 lakh tonnes of onions in the buffer stock, taking the buffer limit to 5 lakh tonnes of onions for the current fiscal year. 

Explaining the plight of the traders and farmers, Nashik District Onion Traders Association President, Khandu Deore, said, “The government suddenly took the decision of increasing the export duty to 40 per cent. The decision was taken without any intimation and without giving any time....Around 30,000 tonnes of onions are lying in ports and at borders. Exporters will bear an excessive burden due to the export duty. Ultimately, traders and onion farmers will have to bear the brunt of it....as it may lead to a crashing of onion prices.”

The report added that district sub-registrar Faiyyaz Mulani revealed that letters have been sent to the APMCs urging them to resume auctions from Wednesday and adopt strict actions against traders not participating in the auctions. The letter even asked the APMCs to cancel the licences of the traders if necessary.

Notably, the government assured the farmers and traders earlier that the centre will purchase two lakh tonnes of onions at a price of Rs 2,410 per quintal. Union Minister Piyush Goyal assured the farmers on Tuesday that NCCF and NAFED will ‘begin the purchase of 2 lakh more tons of onion from Nashik, Pimpalgaon, Lasalgaon, Ahmednagar and the entire region’, and the government will take care of the farmers. 

A special centre at Pimpalgaon Baswant by NAFED for the same was inaugurated by Union Minister Bharti Pawar. She said, “We had demanded that purchase of onions should be started immediately. I had also given a letter in this regard. As a result, the government took the decision today,” and urged the traders and farmers to participate in the auctions across the district.

Politicians like former MLA Shirish Kotwal, APMC chairperson Sanjay Jadhav and many others participated in the protest against the export duty at the Chandwad APMC and submitted a memorandum of demands to the Chandwad tehsildar Mandar Kulkarni, the report added. 

Additionally, the Aam Aadmi Party also submitted a memorandum to the collector addressed to the Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, repeating the export duty rollback demand.