Even as Maharashtra is trying its best to control the skyrocketing prices of onion, traders in Nashik, one of the largest onion producing regions in the country, have called for a two-day strike from Monday. With this, the prices of onions are expected to shoot up further in the next few days.
The traders are miffed with the income-tax department raids conducted on wholesale traders across the country. Further, they have alleged that traders across the country have been asked to buy onions for not more than `30 from the Nashik traders. “The traders from other states, who procure onions from us are being threatened by their respective state governments against buying onions from us for more than `30 per kg. If we are buying onions at the rate of `35 to `40 per kg from the farmers, how can we sell it for less than `30?” questioned Nashik District Onion Association president, Sohamlal Bhandari.
Nashik is a major onion-producing region supplying large quantities of onion to Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and other parts of South India. The Lasalgaon market in Nashik is Asia’s biggest onion market.
All the 22 onion markets in Nashik will go on a two-day strike beginning from Monday. “Around 700 trucks leaving the 22 markets in Nashik will stop their services,” Mr Bhandari said.
Traders in Nashik have said that the Union government should take adequate measures so that the traders are not targeted. “We want the government to give us a surety that we will not be targeted. It is the untimely rains in Maharashtra which have caused the price rise. We have been accused of hoarding the crop, which is not true,” said another trader from Nashik. “Nashik supplies around 60 per cent of the total onions to Mumbai. The strike will result in the short supply of onions that will eventually lead to further rise in prices,” said Ashok Walunj, director of the Agriculture Produce Market Committees market in Navi Mumbai.