Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the Centre has decided to purchase two lakh metric tonnes of onion at the rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal, and expressed hope this will provide relief to producers of the key kitchen staple in the state.

He also said special procurement centres will be set up in Nashik and Ahmednagar in the state.

The announcement comes amid protests by farmers and traders against the Centre's decision to impose 40 per cent export duty on onions to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market.

The Finance Ministry through a notification on August 19 imposed the 40 per cent export duty on onions till December 31, 2023.

Fadnavis, who is currently on a visit to Japan, in a post on X said, “I spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal regarding the onion issue. The Union government would procure two lakh metric tonnes of onion at the rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal.”

“There will be special procurement centres set up in Nashik and Ahmednagar districts for the same. It would offer some relief to the onion growers in the state,” the deputy CM added.

On Monday, traders decided to close onion auctions indefinitely in all the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in Nashik, including at Lasalgaon, which is the largest wholesale onion market in India.

Several farmers and traders also held protests on Monday in Nashik district seeking a rollback of the export duty.

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