Onion Production

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday urged the BJP-led Centre to remove the 20 per cent levy on onion exports and provide relief to the grower of the bulbous vegetable. In a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Pawar highlighted the issues concerning farmers from Nashik district, where onion is grown in large quantities. The onions grown here (in Nashik) are available in other states of India and also exported in large quantities. As of today, onions from the summer yield have been exhausted and the fresh crop has reached various (Agriculture Produce) Market Committees in Maharashtra, Pawar wrote. Due to the arrival of a large stock of onions, farmers are now in distress as they are forced to sell their produce at a much lower rate since they have yet to receive any minimum support price, said Pawar. They are selling onions at an average of Rs 2,400 per quintal, he said. Unseasonal rains and changing climate have already caused a huge dent in the ...

Angry over the drop in onion prices, farmers on Thursday briefly stopped auctions at the Lasalgaon APMC, the country's largest wholesale market of the key kitchen staple in Maharashtra's Nashik district. The farmers demanded removal of the 20 per cent export duty on onions and an aid of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per quintal of the produce, the APMC officials said. Onion prices have been witnessing a decline since the last few days. However, as the prices dropped drastically at the Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), onion farmers stopped the auctions and registered their protest on Thursday, the officials said. Around 1,500 vehicles of onions arrived for auction at the APMC on Thursday. In the morning session, the minimum price was Rs 800 per quintal, maximum Rs 2,900 per quintal and an average Rs 1,900 per quintal, as per the officials. As the auctions began, the auctioneers announced the prices at Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500 per quintal. Angry over it, farmers stopped t

Apart from Delhi, bulk shipments of onions were also sent to Chennai in October and to Guwahati in early November

Second train carrying 840 tonnes of onions from Nashik reached Delhi on Wednesday

Onion prices have surged ahead of Diwali, reaching Rs 60-80 per kg, as heavy rains damage crops and disrupt supply; government efforts to stabilise prices are underway

The government is expecting that this first-ever large-scale movement of onions from Maharashtra will aid in stabilising prices in the Delhi-NCR area

Govt starts discounted onion sale at Rs 35/kg in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai

The Centre on Thursday began the first phase of retail sales of onion at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg to provide relief to Delhi-NCR and Mumbai consumers from rising prices of the kitchen staple. NCCF and NAFED, which are maintaining a buffer stock of 4.7 lakh tonne onion on behalf of the government, will undertake the retail sale through their own stores and mobile vans. Onion will be sold at 38 retail points in Delhi-NCR and Parel and Malad in Mumbai. Onion will also be sold at a subsidised rate on the e-commerce platforms and outlets of Kendriya Bhandar and Mother Dairy's SAFAL in major consumption areas. Currently, retail prices of onion are ruling over Rs 60 per kg, depending on the quality and locality in the national capital. After the launch, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the quantity and disposal channels for onion will be enhanced, deepened, intensified and diversified as per the trend in onion prices. He said more cities will be covered in t

In 2023, the average rate at which the Centre procured onions from Maharashtra was Rs 16.93 per kg. This year, it is procuring at around Rs 29.5 per kg via direct benefit transfer

Traders have started hoarding stocks in anticipation that the government may relax its measures to control prices

India has exported more than 45,000 tonnes of onion since the ban on outbound shipments was lifted early this month, a top government official said on Wednesday. These exports provided relief to farmers after curbs were imposed to keep domestic supplies steady ahead of general elections. The world's biggest vegetable exporter banned exports of the bulb last December and then extended it in March, after a rise in prices triggered by sluggish production. "Since the ban was lifted, more than 45,000 tonnes of onions have been exported, mostly to the Middle East and Bangladesh," Nidhi Khare, Secretary of the Consumer Affairs Ministry, told PTI. To keep onion prices affordable during the election period, the government on May 4 lifted the ban but imposed a minimum export price (MEP) of USD 550 per tonne. Khare said the forecast of a good monsoon this year will ensure better sowing of kharif (summer) crops, including onion from June onwards. State-owned agencies have started procuring o

The export ban was imposed by the world's biggest exporter of the vegetable last December and then extended in March

The total sown area for onion in Maharashtra has dropped by 36% which has brought down the supply

Just as onions are layered, so is the politics around this humble bulb that finds itself on the political chopping board, yet again. SANJEEB MUKHERJEE writes

After the govt imposed a 40% duty on the export of onions, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday said that farmers do not have to worry on the onion issue

Traders here on Monday said they have decided to close onion auctions indefinitely in all the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in Maharashtra's Nashik district to protest against the Centre's decision to impose a 40 per cent duty on the export of the kitchen staple. In view of the decision, the onion auctions remained closed at most of the APMCs in the district on Monday, including at Lasalgaon, the largest wholesale onion market in India, sources said. Traders claimed the central government's decision to impose 40 per cent duty on the export of onions till December 31, 2023 will adversely affect the onion growers and its export. The decision for the indefinite closure of onion auctions here was taken on Sunday in a meeting of the Nashik District Onion Traders Association, its president Khandu Deore said on Monday. "In case onions are brought to an APMC, as the decision will take time to reach farmers, then the auction of those onions will be conducted and thereafter t

Last year, Nafed had purchased a total of 57,000 tonnes of onion from the 2018-19 Rabi (winter) crop under the Price Stabilisation Fund

Crop quality is very poor due to delay in harvesting of matured crop, caused by shortage of workers and transport issues, says Lasalgaon APMC secretary

Rush to sell even below cost of production amid fear of spoilage as Lasalgaon mandi is closed

Data from the Nashik-based National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation showed onion was trading at at Rs 24 a kg on Tuesday in the benchmark Lasalgaon mandi in Nashik district