PUNE: The Manchar APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee) in Ambegaon tehsil witnessed a halt in onion auctions on Friday as local farmers staged a protest, demanding the establishment of a National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Limited (Nafed) procurement center in their town, similar to those in Nashik and Ahmednagar.
Nafed has successfully initiated 13 procurement centers in Nashik and Ahmednagar to facilitate onion collection from farmers. The protesting Manchar farmers aim to sustain their protest until Monday, advocating for a Nafed center in their region to mitigate losses incurred during the transportation of onions to distant locations like Ahmednagar and Nashik.
Chairman of the Manchar APMC, Vasant Bhalerao, stated, “The absence of a Nafed center in Pune district necessitates the transport of harvest to Ahmednagar and Nashik, incurring high transportation costs.” He further highlighted the farmers’ discontent with the rates they have been receiving since the imposition of a 40% export duty by the government. In response to these concerns, the decision to temporarily close the market for two days was made to restore regular market operations.
Some onion growers expressed suspicions that traders were intentionally bidding lower than the Centre’s procurement price of Rs2,410 per quintal. Datta Ganjale, former sarpanch of Manchar, explained, “There is apprehension that traders might hoard onions at the current rates and release them in the market when prices rise.”
Manchar has been handling a daily intake of 9,000 bags of onions in recent days, and last year, the region recorded an onion intake of 11 lakh tonnes.
The protest brings attention to the challenges faced by farmers, with specific instances such as Balasaheb Gawade’s case. He lost 100 bags of onions due to rain, an unfortunate event that highlights the vulnerability of agricultural produce. Gawade shared his frustration, emphasizing the lack of government assistance despite the adverse market conditions.
