Centre to buy 2 lakh metric tonnes onion at Rs 2,410 per quintal: Devendra Fadnavis
Mumbai (PTI): 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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Death toll from Israeli strikes in northeast Lebanon rises from 8 to 24, Lebanese news agency says
Deir al-Balah, Nov 1: Israeli airstrikes on Friday killed at least 24 people in northeastern Lebanon, the country's news agency said, raising the death toll from eight there.
It was the latest deadly toll in the area since the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah escalated last month.
Israel's military has said that its operation in Lebanon is targeting Hezbollah's military infrastructure.
Lebanon's state National news Agency reported four airstrikes in different villages across country's northeast, saying rescuers were still searching for survivors in Younine, a town in the Bekaa Valley, from the rubble of a targeted house.
Hussein Haj Hassan, a Lebanese lawmaker representing the region in Baalbek-Hermel region, said that 60,000 people have already fled their homes in the area due to Israeli bombardment.
