Wearing onion garlands around their necks, the Congress staged protests in Nashik district – which has the country’s largest onion market at Lasalgaon and other parts of Maharashtra, against the Narendra Modi Government’s decision to ban exports of onions.
In Nashik district which is the epi-centre of protests against the “anti-farmer” policies of the Modi government, the Congress workers – accompanied by onion growing farmers –raised vociferous slogans against the BJP-led government at the Centre.
On Tuesday, the onion growers and traders had staged a dharna at the market yard of the APMC market at Lasalgaon in Nashik district.
“At a time when the farmers in the state have started to recover from the Covid-19 induced losses, the Modi government has once again dashed their hopes. At a time when the onion crop was fetching good prices in the market, the Modi government suddenly decided to ban exports, causing huge losses to farmers,” Maharashtra Congress president and State Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said.
“There is anger among the farmers against the Modi government’s decision to ban onion exports and the state government stands firmly with the farmers. The Congress’ agitation will continue till the time the union government withdraws the ban on onion exports,” Thorat said.
Slamming the Modi government’s decision to ban onion exports, Thorat said: “Recently, the Centre’s decision to import milk powder deprived the opportunity to thousands of dairy farmers to sell tonnes of milk powder lying with them, resulting in a drop in milk prices. Just as when onions were fetching a good price in the market, a decision to ban exports was taken which has led to the price of onion crashing by Rs 700-800 per quintal”.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday expressed serious displeasure over the Centre’s decision to ban onion exports.
At the weekly State Cabinet meeting, Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat criticised the Centre for its “anti-farmer” decision of banning the export of onions.
Briefing the ministers present, Principal Secretary Anup Kumar said that during 2018-19 farmers from Maharashtra had exported 21.83 metric tonnes of Onion, while they had exported 18.50 metric tonnes of onion during 2019-20.
Senior Minister Eknath Shinde told the Cabinet that currently, 4 lakh metric tonnes were lying at the Jawahar Nehru Port, while more than 500 trucks carrying onions were waiting in a queue near the Nepal border.
