ONION TRADE DRIVES POLL PITCH AT AHMEDNAGAR, PUNE AND NASHIK

The plight of onion producers and exporters in Nashik, and neighbouring Ahmednagar and Pune, will fuel campaign pitches in the region for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Onion producers in the Nashik-Ahmednagar belt have been a vulnerable lot since the last one year; and it is for the eighth time in this span that wholesale trade of the kitchen staple in Nashik district has been affected after traders halted auction across 15 Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC), including India’s largest Lasalgaon wholesale market, since April 4.

Farmers and traders are protesting APMC’s latest mandate of slicing the labour charges off farmers’ share and passing it on to the Mathadi (head loaders) Board. This has impacted farmers who have been a beleaguered lot since the Central government first imposed a 40% duty on exports in September, 2023, and subsequently banned it in December. Maharashtra accounts for up to 35% of the country’s onion exports. The onion growing regions were under the influence of the NCP, until BJP wrested control in 2014.

NCP (SP) nominee from Shirur, Amol Kolhe, said, “The two mandates of the centre resulted in the prices plummeting (from ₹40-45 to ₹10 per kg in the retail market) at the time, which has led to farmers incurring major losses.” The produce is sold at ₹20-25 per kg today. He said, while farmers are still harvesting onions, “there is no guarantee what prime minister Narendra Modi will do”. Kolhe had led a farmers’ march from Shivneri Fort to the Pune collectorate in December last year, to drive home the issue.

FARMERS AND TRADERS ARE PROTESTING APMC’S MANDATE OF SLICING THE LABOUR CHARGES