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Maharashtra urges Centre to lift ban on onion exports, as fresh harvest enters market
PUNE: With fresh arrival of onion in the wholesale markets and a sharp drop in prices from Rs 150 per kg two months ago to Rs 15 per kg presently, the Maharashtra
PUNE: With fresh arrival of onion in the wholesale markets and a sharp drop in prices from Rs 150 per kg two months ago to Rs 15 per kg presently, the Maharashtra government has urged the Centre to lift the ban on onion exports and relax other curbs.
The Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board (MSAMB) and the state agriculture department have appealed to the Central government to lift the ban on onion exports and lower the Minimum Export Price (MEP) of onion.
MSAMB managing director Sunil Pawar said, “With the arrival of the new onion crop in large quantities, onion prices have started dropping in almost all the APMCs in Maharashtra. It is now certain that prices are not going to rise significantly and the chances of a crash in prices is quite high. Therefore, MSAMB has requested the central government to lift the ban on onion exports.”
The government had banned onion exports on September 29, 2019 when prices had touched a record high with decreasing arrival in the market. On September 13, the Minimum Export Price of onion was raised to US $850.
Pawar said the MEP had been raised to discourage onion exports. “We have requested the government to bring down the MEP to around US $650 as this will help boost exports and farmers will get better prices for their crop,” he said.
Onion is now selling in the wholesale markets at Rs15 per kg to Rs 18 per kg in almost all the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) in Maharashtra. In the retail markets, this essential commodity is selling in the range of Rs 20 to Rs 30 per kg depending on the quality and size of the bulb. In the last six months, onion prices had crossed Rs 100 per kg resulting in a crisis.
At the major onion trading centre at Lasalgaon in Nashik district, APMC director Jaydutta Holkar said, “The prices of onion have seen a correction and have dropped significantly. Now there are no chances of a rise in prices. We have also appealed to the central government to lift the ban on onion exports.”
A prominent Pune trader and president of Pune APMC traders’ association, Vilas Bhujbal said, farmers have panicked over falling prices and are rushing their produce to the APMCs.
