Business Standard

As Centre eases onion procurement norms, farmers seek MSP of ₹3,000/quintal

Farmers in Maharashtra have welcomed the central government's decision to relax onion procurement norms, but said the move would provide little relief and demanded a minimum procurement price of Rs 3,000 per quintal. They claimed the procurement rate of around Rs 1,580 per quintal offered by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumer's Federation of India (NCCF) was lower than prevailing market expectations and inadequate to cover cultivation costs. The Centre has eased size and quality specifications for onion procurement, expanding the acceptable size range from 45-65 mm to 35-70 mm and relaxing norms related to blemishes, colour variation, skin defects and minor sun damage. While welcoming the decision, farmer leaders on Sunday said the core issue facing growers was not eligibility for procurement but the low prices being offered. "Norms have been relaxed, but farmers are still incurring losses. The real ...