Maharashtra Minister Dada Bhuse said it would make no difference if people did not consume onions for 2-4 months. His comment on the onions comes in the wake of rising price of the key vegetable.
"When you use a vehicle worth Rs 10 lakh, you can buy produce at a higher rate by Rs 10 or Rs 20 than the retail rate. Those who cannot afford to buy onion, it would make no difference if they do not eat it for two-four months," Bhuse said.
Protest over Centre's decision
The farmers and the traders staged protests against the Centre's decision to impose 40 per cent export duty on onions. The decision to impose export duty should have been taken with proper coordination, said Bhuse who holds the state PWD Ministry.
The Union government on August 19 imposed 40 per cent duty on the export of onions to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market. The Finance Ministry through a notification imposed the 40 per cent export duty on onions till December 31, 2023.
He also said the decision to impose export duty should have been taken with proper coordination.
"Sometimes onion fetches rates of Rs 200 per quintal while sometimes it attracts Rs 2,000 per quintal. A discussion can be held and an amicable solution can be found," Bhuse said.
Earlier 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.
(With PTI inputs)
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