Under the aegis of the farmers union Shetkari Saghtana, onion farmers staged a ‘rasta roko’ agitation in Maharashtra’s Nashik district on Monday against the Central government’s decision to impose a 40 per cent export duty on the kitchen staple.
Amid the protests, one of the representatives of the Union said, "Farmers die by suicide. Why do they do that? The onion crops are damaged due to rain and that is why the prices have increased. The Government should take note of the farmers’ needs and stop the farmers` suicides.”
The protest was organized in the Yeola area of the Nashik district earlier today.
The government on Saturday imposed a 40 per cent duty on the export of onions to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market till December 31, 2023.
A notification issued by the Finance Ministry on August 19 stated that they have imposed a 40 per cent export duty on onions till December 31, 2023.
"Government imposes 40 per cent duty on onion exports till December 31," the Ministry stated.
The export duty comes amid reports that onion prices are likely to rise in September. Earlier on August 11, the central government started releasing the staple vegetable from its buffer stock.
The central government had earlier decided it will maintain 3 lakh tonne of onions in the 2023-24 season as buffer stock. In 2022-23, the government maintained 2.51 lakh tonne onion as buffer stock.
Buffer stock is maintained to meet any exigencies and for price stabilization, if rates go up significantly during the lean supply season.
