New Delhi (PTI): Cooperative Nafed will start procurement of kharif onion in Gujarat from Thursday from three mandis to provide relief to farmers, as prices have crashed in the wholesale markets, according to the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry.
Nafed will begin onion procurement from Bhavnagar, Gondal and Porbandar mandis in Gujarat from March 9.
More centres will be opened from time to time as required, it said.
"Farmers are requested to bring their good quality and dried stock to the procurement centres to avail better rates at these centres," the ministry said.
Payments to the farmers will be done online, it added.
The ministry said the central government has planned this market intervention in order to give immediate relief to the farmers from crashing prices of onions in the state.
Nafed will procure kharif onion to address the issue of falling prices of onion in Gujarat and this move will provide stability to the onion market in the state, it added.
Onion is grown in all the states, however, Maharashtra is the leading producer with a share of around 43 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 16 per cent, Karnataka and Gujarat contributing around 9 per cent of national production.
The crop is harvested thrice a year during Kharif, Late Kharif and Rabi seasons.
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Ranchi: Champai Soren, a prominent figure in Jharkhand’s statehood movement, is contesting the 2024 assembly elections from Seraikela, a seat he has consistently held since 1991.
However, there is a surprising shift in his political journey this year. Having resigned from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) earlier this year, Soren is now representing the BJP, a move that could significantly impact the electoral dynamics in the state.
Soren’s switiching is seen as a strategic benefit for the saffron party, which has been working to expand its appeal among Jharkhand’s tribal communities, a demographic traditionally aligned with the JMM. His departure from the JMM, led by Shibu Soren and his son Hemant Soren, was fueled by dissatisfaction with the state government’s policies, which he claimed had failed to address tribal concerns.
Also known as "Jharkhand’s Tiger" for his instrumental role in the statehood movement of the 1990s, Champai Soren has respect and influence among tribal voters. His decision to switch the party could be a turning point in the BJP’s efforts to gain a stronger hold in a state where tribal votes often decide the outcome.