Onion farmers protest curbs

Tribune News Service
Mumbai, September 14

Farmers in India’s main onion markets of Lasalgaon and Pimpalgaon today held protests after wholesale prices of the bulb softened following imposition of the minimum export price on Friday.

According to sources at Lasalgaon, wholesale prices of good quality onions that touched Rs 2,900 per quintal on Friday fell to Rs 2,670 per quintal today.

“Farmers held protests and raised slogans against the government for bringing down the onion prices,” a police official from Lasalgaon said. However, the farmers were dispersed without incident.

Onion prices that fell to less than Re 1 a kg earlier this year has continued to surge after a large number of farmers quit its cultivation. Severe rain across Maharashtra has also damaged the crop, according to traders here.

To keep onion prices in check, the Centre on Friday imposed a minimum export price of $850 a tonne. The MEP had been removed after a surplus onion crop caused prices to crash. The government had even introduced an export subsidy following the surge in supply of onions.

With onion prices showing no signs of softening, the Indian Government has also floated tenders to import onions from foreign countries.