Nashik onion traders call for an indefinite strike over demands
Starting Wednesday, onion traders have decided not to participate in the auction in 17 market committees across Nashik district including Lasalgaon over various demands
PUNE: Beginning Wednesday, the onion traders of Nashik district have called for an indefinite strike. The Nashik District Onion Traders’ Association has warned that the market committees will remain closed and that traders will not participate in the auction process until such time the government discusses export duty and their demands. With this, there is once again the possibility of an onion shortage in the state.
Starting Wednesday, onion traders have decided not to participate in the auction in 17 market committees across Nashik district including Lasalgaon over various demands. Due to the ban on the auction, the farmers will be in a lot of trouble and there is a possibility that crores of rupees worth of turnover will grind to a halt. A few days ago, a meeting was held in the presence of the Nashik collector in the collector’s office regarding the onion traders’ demands. But as no solution was found despite the meeting, the traders have called for a complete ban on the auction now. “Until the government discusses the export duty and our demands, market committees will remain closed, traders will not participate in the auction process,” said Balasaheb Darade, chairman of the Traders’ Association at Lasalgaon APMC.
Meanwhile, the state government has not yet fulfilled its promise from the previous agitation, the traders claimed. “Against this backdrop, the meeting held with the collector three days ago did not lead to a solution. Therefore, a meeting with the government has been promised in the coming period. For the last three months, the business community is in a miserable condition, and we have written letters to the chief minister and finance minister asking them to discuss otherwise we have issued a warning that we will be firm on our demands,” Darade said.
With the market committees closed since Wednesday morning, farmers are not selling onion due to which, they are likely to face huge losses.
“At present, the summer onion is coming to the market and in the Lasalgaon market committee, onions are being sold from twelve to thirteen hundred vehicles every day. A few days ago, the onion auction was said to be going smoothly, but now the onion traders have called for a shutdown. Therefore, according to this, all 15 market committees and sub-market committees of Nashik district have been strictly closed and farmers are unnecessarily affected due to this protest,” said Harat Dighole, president of the Maharashtra State Onion Growers’ Association.
Most of the onion turnover in Maharashtra is from the Nashik district. Lasalgaon is known as the biggest onion market. Now, if these market committees remain closed for a long time, there is a possibility that the market prices will fall again due to the increase in inflow and the farmers will be hit the hardest.
