After a 14-day hiatus, onion auction activities recommenced across 13 Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC) in Nashik district, including the significant Lasalgaon wholesale market. The suspension was due to a protest by traders against the deduction of weighing and labor charges from farmers' earnings for the benefit of the Head Loaders Board. On the reopening day, the morning session saw the arrival of 16,000 100 kg batches of onions, with the average price reaching ₹1,500 per 100 kgs. Despite the resumption, some areas still face challenges in restarting agricultural goods transactions.
The controversy began when the Mathadi Samgar Mandal issued notices for the recovery of levy arrears to traders, leading to a legal stay obtained by the trade union. A decision was made to eliminate weighing and labor charges following a significant business impact caused by the auction halt. "The decision by 15 APMCs to stop auction caused huge business loss since last 14 days. The meeting called by collector Jalaj Sharma failed to reach an amiable solution to the issue as he suggested reducing the weighing and labor charges. Later, at the meeting of Lasalgaon market committee directors on Thursday, it was decided to resume auction by lowering the Mathadi charges. Hence, the markets reopened from Friday," explained Narendra Pradane, secretary, Lasalgaon APMC. Subsequently, 550 vehicles of onions were auctioned, with prices ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹3,000 per 100 kgs as 40 traders participated. Nonetheless, a faction of traders resisted the levy reduction, abstaining from the auction process.
[ ₹100 = €1.10 ]
Source: hindustantimes.com