With onion rates dropping down to realistic levels, farmers led by Lasalgaon APMC chairman Nanasaheb Patil have demanded the Centre to reduce the Minimum Export Price (MEP) on this tuber crop.
With onion rates dropping down to realistic levels, farmers led by Lasalgaon APMC chairman Nanasaheb Patil have demanded the Centre to reduce the Minimum Export Price (MEP) on this tuber crop. The present MEP is $700 per ton.
On Thursday, the average price for onion was Rs 1,850 per quintal with the maximum price of Rs 2,901 and minimum price of Rs 1,400 per quintal.
Last Thursday the average price was Rs 2,400 per quintal, which is a decrease of Rs 550 per quintal.The onion currently sold in the market is of lal (red) variety also known as rangda or late kharif onion. The life of this product is a fortnight.
The stocks of stored unhal variety have exhausted and new unhal crop will be available from April 2016 onwards.
Mr Patil said that arrivals have increased and will continue. “Today over 1,000 tractors arrived with onion in Lasalgaon alone. This crop being perishable, needs to be consumed immediately and can’t be stored. There is abundant quantity for domestic use,” Mr Patil said.
“Exporters have told me that onion can be exported only if the MEP is brought down. If not sold off or exported, there will be a glut in the market,” he added.
Copies of the memorandums have been sent to the Prime Minister, agriculture and commerce ministries at the Centre and chief minister of Maharashtra.
The demand for onions was already low during Diwali, and due to the late rains, sowing was delayed. When good rainfall was received during the Ganeshotsav festival, nearly all farmers sowed onion.
