NCP chief Sharad Pawar urges Maharashtra onion traders to withdraw strike; blames Centre for contradictory decisions

In an attempt to end the indefinite strike called by onion traders in Nashik district, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday urged them

In an attempt to end the indefinite strike called by onion traders in Nashik district, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday urged them to reconsider their decision. He assured that he would request the Centre to remove the restrictions on onion stock limits. Pawar also criticised the Central government, saying that it had removed onions from the list of essential commodities but banned its export and imposed restrictions on its stock limits in contradiction to its earlier decision.

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Onion traders in Nashik have been on strike since the last three days and have threatened to continue it indefinitely. They are opposing restrictions imposed by the Centre on stock limits of 25 metric tonnes (MT) for wholesalers and two metric tonnes for retailers on October 23. To keep prices in check, the Centre had banned the export of onions last month, a move that was opposed by all the political parties in the state.

Nashik has around 15 Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC). It also has Lasalgaon APMC, the oldest and largest wholesale market for onions in the country. The daily arrival of onion produce in the district is between 80,000 quintal to over one lakh. The strike has stopped onion supplies to many cities including Mumbai, which led to a rise in prices due to the shortage. It is also affecting farmers as onion is a perishable crop.

The Central government made an amendment in the Essential Commodities Act and removed cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities last month.

“On one hand, the government removed onions from the list of essential commodities; on the other, it imposed a ban on its export. Now, they have imposed restrictions on its stock limit, which is contradictory to what it had decided earlier. The restrictions are not practical and need to be removed,” Pawar said, after his meeting with onion traders in Nashik.

“I will discuss the matter with the concerned union minister. I am also ready to lead a delegation along with representatives from onion traders to Delhi, but I will request you all to reconsider your decision on the indefinite strike. We can work together towards removing the difficulties. If possible, withdraw your strike as farmers have also been hit. I am sure you are not the ones who want to see others in trouble,” Pawar told traders.

Jaydutt Holkar, chairman, APMC, Lasalgaon, said that they are facing loss of crores of rupees daily.

“The losses of Lasalgaon APMC are around 𔝁2.5 crore a day, whereas the combined loss of all the APMCs in the district goes to around ₹10-15 crore a day. It has also disturbed supplies to cities, as a result of which they are experiencing a rise in prices. We are now hoping that the traders will withdraw their strike,” Holkar said.

Ashok Walunj, director Navi Mumbai APMC said that the supply for Mumbai is not affected much as the strike was called by traders and not farmers. “Farmers have continued their supply to the market, so we were not that much affected. Also, the state government had deregulated onions in 2016, allowing farmers to sell them anywhere in the state. Hence, their direct supply to the city remained uninterrupted,” he said.