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Under mounting pressure from the agitating onion growers and various political parties in Maharashtra, the UPA Government is likely to reconsider its decision to impose a ban on the onion exports on Tuesday.
During his visit to the city on Saturday, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee assured Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and his deputy Ajit Pawar that Empowered Group of Ministers, headed by him, would discuss the situation arising out of the Centre’s decision to ban the onion exports, at its meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. “We will take an appropriate decision on that day,” the Minister reportedly assured Chavan and Pawar.
Mukherjee, who was in the city for a meeting with Chief Ministers in the west zone States, took stock of the situation pertaining to onion, sugarcane and cotton crops in the State, at a meeting he had with Chavan, Pawar, Ministers and senior bureaucrats of various departments concerned. Among the crops, he discussed at length the issue of farmers affected by the Centre’s ban on onion exports.
On a day when reports from the maximum onion growing district suggested that nearly 40 per cent of the total 9 lakh onion stored in various godowns had begun to rot, Chavan and Pawar urged the Finance Minister once again to lift the ban on exports of the perishable commodity.
Saturday’s was the second occasion in the last three days, when the ruling politicians in the state made a detailed presentation before the Union Finance Minister and stressed on the need for lifting the ban on onion exports without any further delay.
Earlier on Wednesday, the State’s ruling DF Ministers had met Mukherjee, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Energy Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Food Supplies and Public Distribution Minister of State(Independent Charge) KV Thomas in the capital and made a strong case for withdrawal of the onion exports ban.
Chavan told the Union Minister that lifting the ban on onion exports was the only way to ensure remunerative to the farmers for their produce during the rabi season.
Meanwhile, the agitation of onion growers entered the ninth day on Saturday. As many as 14 wholesale onion markets continued to remain closed in Nashik district, which alone contributes to over 60 per cent of total onion produced in Maharashtra.
During his visit to the city on Saturday, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee assured Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and his deputy Ajit Pawar that Empowered Group of Ministers, headed by him, would discuss the situation arising out of the Centre’s decision to ban the onion exports, at its meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. “We will take an appropriate decision on that day,” the Minister reportedly assured Chavan and Pawar.
Mukherjee, who was in the city for a meeting with Chief Ministers in the west zone States, took stock of the situation pertaining to onion, sugarcane and cotton crops in the State, at a meeting he had with Chavan, Pawar, Ministers and senior bureaucrats of various departments concerned. Among the crops, he discussed at length the issue of farmers affected by the Centre’s ban on onion exports.
On a day when reports from the maximum onion growing district suggested that nearly 40 per cent of the total 9 lakh onion stored in various godowns had begun to rot, Chavan and Pawar urged the Finance Minister once again to lift the ban on exports of the perishable commodity.
Saturday’s was the second occasion in the last three days, when the ruling politicians in the state made a detailed presentation before the Union Finance Minister and stressed on the need for lifting the ban on onion exports without any further delay.
Earlier on Wednesday, the State’s ruling DF Ministers had met Mukherjee, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Energy Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Food Supplies and Public Distribution Minister of State(Independent Charge) KV Thomas in the capital and made a strong case for withdrawal of the onion exports ban.
Chavan told the Union Minister that lifting the ban on onion exports was the only way to ensure remunerative to the farmers for their produce during the rabi season.
Meanwhile, the agitation of onion growers entered the ninth day on Saturday. As many as 14 wholesale onion markets continued to remain closed in Nashik district, which alone contributes to over 60 per cent of total onion produced in Maharashtra.
