Centre discusses steps to save onion growers from price slump

With onion prices falling sharply in Maharasthra, the Centre today reviewed the price situation and discussed about the possibility of buying more onions from farmers to protect their interest.
The issue was discussed in a meeting convened by Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari here.
Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, NCP chief and former Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and three ministers from Maharashtra were present in the meeting.
"The issue related to fall in onion prices was discussed in detail. The state government has been asked to send a formal proposal so that market intervention can be undertaken by agency Nafed," a source said.

The demand to fix minimum support price for onion to provide assured returns to growers was also deliberated in the meeting, the source said.
Already, 15,000 tonnes of onion has been procured by cooperative Nafed and SFAC using the Price Stabilization Fund under the Consumer Affairs Ministry.
As per the official data, wholesale prices of onion at Lasalgoan mandi in Nasik, Maharashtra have declined by 78 per cent to Rs 7.25 per kg today as against Rs 33/kg in the year-ago period.
Onion production is expected be more than 20 million tonnes for the second straight year in 2015-16, as per the second advance estimate of the Agriculture Ministry.