Maharashtra Farmers' Association Urges Complete Ban on Onion Imports, Warns of Protests

The Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers' Association, led by founder Bharat Dighole, has sent a letter to District Collector Jalaj Sharma, urging the central government to completely ban onion imports. This request follows the recent importation of onions from Afghanistan by traders in Delhi.

Farmers in Maharashtra and other states have a substantial stock of rabi onions stored, and the central government has also stored 500,000 tonnes of onions. Despite this, onion prices have been continuously falling, causing significant financial losses for farmers. The situation worsened when the central government imposed an export duty on onions, set a minimum export price, and ultimately banned onion exports. These actions have led to a further drop in onion prices, resulting in farmers losing crores of rupees.

Farmers believe there is a conspiracy to lower domestic onion prices by allowing imports. To protect their income and ensure better prices for their onions in the future, they are demanding a complete ban on onion imports from any country, including Afghanistan. Since August of last year, the government has placed a 40% export duty on onions, set a minimum export value of $550, and imposed a total ban on exports in December. These restrictions have prevented onion prices from rising, further harming farmers.

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The farmers are asking the government to immediately remove the 40% export duty and the minimum export value of $550. Coordinator Bhagwan Jadhav and other members, including Vishwanath Patil and Khandu Fade, have also signed the letter.

If the central government does not take action to ban imports and lift the export duty, the Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers' Association has threatened to launch severe protests across the state.