More than 500 farmers on Thursday blocked the Mumbai-Agra highway in Nashik in Maharashtra for some time seeking cancellation of the Union government's decision to impose 40 per cent export duty on onions, an official said.

The stir took place in Chandwad in the rural part of the district and the arterial road was blocked for almost one-and-half hours before police rushed to the site and managed to get the protesters off the stretch, he said.

The stir against the export duty has been underway in the district since Monday, which had also affected the auction of the kitchen staple.

The Union government on August 19 imposed 40 per cent duty on the export of onions to increase domestic availability amid signs of increasing prices and in view of the upcoming festival season.

The export duty, which is the first time ever on onion, was imposed by the Finance Ministry through a Customs notification and will be in force till December 31.

Between April 1 and August 4 this fiscal, 9.75 lakh tonne of onions have been exported from the country. The top three importing countries in value terms are Bangladesh, Malaysia and the UAE.

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