Pawar to meet Nashik onion cultivators over suspended auctions

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said he will be meeting onion cultivators in Nashik, where auctions were suspended at Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in protest against the Centre-imposed stock limit on the staple.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said he will be meeting onion cultivators in Nashik, where auctions were suspended at Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in protest against the Centre-imposed stock limit on the staple. Traders refused to buy onions from farmers and auctions in 15 APMCs and four sub-committees in the district remained closed on Monday.

"I am going to Nashik on Wednesday. I will meet representatives of onion cultivators and try to understand the issue," said Pawar, while speaking to reporters in Pune on the side lines of a meeting at Vasantdada Sugar Institute. The Centre's stand on the onion issue is to oppose the export, support the import and restrict stocking of the commodity and this is not in the interest of farmers, the NCP chief said.

To contain onion prices, the Centre, last week, imposed stock holding limit on retail and wholesale traders till December 31 to improve the domestic availability of the commodity and provide relief to consumers. Retailers can stock onions only up to 2 tonnes, whereas wholesale traders are allowed to keep up to 25 tonnes, Consumer Affairs Secretary Leena Nandan had said last week.