APMCs in overdrive to control onion prices

In order to ensure that hoarders don't take advantage of the demand rush on Diwali, the state government has ordered the Agriculture Market Produce Committees (APMCs) to keep its installations open. The decision was taken particularly in view of the continuing onion scarcity.

At a press conference, Harshwardhan Patil, the state marketing minister, said, "Normally APMCs close down during the Diwali period, but to ensure smooth supply of onions and to prevent hoarders from taking advantage of the situation, the state government has directed them to keep their activities on even during Diwali days."

The task to ensure that the APMCs remain functioning has been entrusted with the deputy registrar of the co-operatives at the district level, Patil said.

Besides this, the state has decided to withdraw the APMC cess on onion imports from other states by farmers' co-operative marketing societies for a month, he added.

He said that a request has been made to the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) to speed up onion imports and allocate a big part of it to the state.