Farmers to start centres to sell onion directly to customers, first centre planned in Pune

The first of these centres for selling onion directly to customers has been opened in Pune by the Onion Farmers’ Association and similar such centres will soon come up in Mumbai and other major cities of Maharashtra

While Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) markets in Nashik district have resumed onion auctions after onion traders withdrew their strike, onion farmers are still getting low rates for their onion which has prompted them to start selling onion directly to customers. The first of these centres for selling onion directly to customers has been opened in Pune by the Onion Farmers’ Association and similar such centres will soon come up in Mumbai and other major cities of Maharashtra.

Onion traders in 15 APMCs of Nashik district had called a strike since September 20. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Maharashtra Onion Farmers’ Association president, Bharat Dighole, said, “Since the last several years, farmers growing onion have been facing many difficulties from uncertain weather conditions and unseasonal rains to selling onion stock in APMC markets and getting good rates for onion. The protest called by the onion traders last month has adversely affected thousands of onion farmers as huge amounts of onion have been damaged by the rain. This conflict between the onion traders and farmers will go on. Hence as a solution, our association has decided to start its own onion selling centres in the state.”

“Our plan is to start our first centre in Pune city. Onion farmers in Pune district have responded positively to this; we will first be selling our onion district-wise and later, each district will have its own onion selling centre/s. Next week, we will be coming to Pune to finalise the spot to open up the centre and if things go well, by next month, we will inaugurate our first onion selling centre in Pune during Diwali,” Dighole said.

Onion traders in 15 APMCs of Nashik district had called a strike since September 20. Among their demands were scrapping of 40% export duty and no sale of onion by government agencies such as the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF). Thirteen days into the strike, the APMC markets resumed auctioning of onion on October 3 when the traders called off their protest after a series of meetings with state and central ministers. Since opening of the markets, the farmers are being given rates of ₹1,600 to ₹2,200 per quintal in Nashik district.