Onion farmers threaten stir from Feb 9

NASHIK, Feb 2: A fresh series of agitations, including rail rokos and dharnas has been planned in the onion belt of Niphad taluka by the Shetkari Sanghatana from February 9, to demand that the ban on onion exports be lifted completely. They are also demanding that the government fix a minimum wholesale price of Rs 500 per quintal. The average wholesale price today was Rs 350.

Laxman Pagar, the sanghatana8217;s leader based in Lasalgaon, says rail rokos will be launched at the Lasalgaon railway station on the Central Railway. The Union government had banned exports of the tuber in October last year, when wholesale prices of the commodity had touched an all-time high of Rs 4,000 per quintal. The ban was partially lifted on January 22, 1999, when the Bangalore Rose and Krishnapuram varieties of onions grown in southern parts of the country were allowed to be exported while the ban was relaxed for other varieties and in the rest of the country, allowing exports up to 3,000 tonnes.

Branch Manager of the NationalAgricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation, S M Pillai, told The Indian Express that the agency had procured 250 tonnes of onions for export to an agency of the Sri Lankan government. He said arrivals have increased and wholesale prices have plummeted below Rs 400 per quintal.