Centre bans onion export till March; Nashik farmers protest
The HinduThe Centre has imposed a ban on the export of onions until March 31, 2024, to curb the surging local prices of the product. is amended from free to prohibited till March 31, 2024.” Earlier, on August 19, the Union government had imposed a 40% duty on the export of onions until December 31, to increase domestic availability amid signs of increasing prices and provide relief to local consumers. In response to the Centre’s announcement of a ban on the export of onions until March 31, 2024, farmers in Maharashtra’s Nashik district took to the streets, blocking the Mumbai-Agra National Highway at three locations and disrupting auctions The farmers also halted auctions in Lasalgaon, Asia’s largest wholesale onion market, Chandwad, Nandgaon, Dindori, Yeola, Umarane, and other places in Nashik. Presently, onion prices range from ₹1,000 to ₹1,200 per quintal, despite some selling at ₹3,000 per quintal,” he said, alleging middlemen for artificial price inflation. The farmers and traders associations are likely to meet Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Ajit Pawar, and Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar to express their concerns.