Nashik: In a major relief for onion growers, the Central Government has permitted onion procurement by NAFED and NCCF directly through Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs). The move is expected to address long-standing issues such as rejection of onions at procurement centres, stringent conditions, and the additional burden of transportation costs faced by farmers.
Following rising complaints about the large-scale rejection of onions at NAFED procurement centres, opposition parties, farmers’ organisations, and onion growers had strongly demanded that procurement be carried out directly through market committees. Against this backdrop, an important meeting regarding the onion issue was held in Delhi.
After the meeting, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that onion procurement through NAFED would now be conducted directly from market committees. He also informed that the Central Government is positively considering increasing the proposed procurement quantity from two lakh metric tonnes to ten lakh metric tonnes, and a decision in this regard is expected soon.
He further said that several measures were proposed before the Centre to support onion growers and stabilise onion prices. Due to rising domestic demand for onion seeds, exports have increased significantly, creating hurdles in securing expected markets for onion exports. A proposal to impose a surcharge on onion seed exports is also under positive consideration.
At present, NAFED is procuring onions at a rate of Rs 15.80 per kilogram. The state government has also pursued efforts to increase this procurement price further. Farmers and farmers’ organisations, which had consistently demanded procurement through market committees for the past three years, have finally welcomed the decision, creating a sense of satisfaction among onion growers.
