Lok Sabha Question No. 30 (STARRED), answered on 2015-12-01
Subject: Remunerative Prices of Onions
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: RAJU ALIAS DEVAPPA ANNA SHETTI, HARISHCHANDRA DEORAM CHAVAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND  FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 30

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 1 ST  DECEMBER, 2015

## REMUNERATIVE PRICES OF ONIONS

- *30.     SHRI RAJU SHETTY: SHRI HARISHCHANDRA CHAVAN:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण ½ãâ¨ããè be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government  is aware that the onion growers are not getting remunerative prices for their produce and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the corrective steps taken by the Government to ensure adequate support prices to the farmers;
- (c) whether  there  is  apprehension  of  an  adverse  impact  on  farmers  on  account  of import of onion during the current year; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the corrective steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण ½ãâ¨ããè (SHRI RADHA MOHAN SINGH)

- (a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 30  DUE FOR REPLY ON 1 ST  DECEMBER, 2015.

- (a): As per the available information, there is no report of onion farmers not getting remunerative prices, as evident from the details as under.

Cost of Production and Average Monthly Wholesale Prices of Onion in 2015

| Cost of Production (Maharashtra) Rs./ Qtl.   | Average Monthly Wholesale Prices in 2015 (Rs./Qtl.)   | Average Monthly Wholesale Prices in 2015 (Rs./Qtl.)   |
|----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
|                                              | Month                                                 |                                                       |
| Kharif - 691 Late Kharif- Rabi - 688         | January                                               | 1171                                                  |
| 611                                          | February                                              | 1319                                                  |
|                                              | March                                                 | 1117                                                  |
|                                              | April                                                 | 966                                                   |
|                                              | May                                                   | 1145                                                  |
|                                              | June                                                  | 1485                                                  |
|                                              | July                                                  | 2021                                                  |
|                                              | August                                                | 4010                                                  |
|                                              | September                                             | 3820                                                  |
|                                              | October                                               | 2671                                                  |
|                                              | November                                              | 2110                                                  |

Source:-

Cost of Production - National Horticulture Research & Development Foundation (NHRDF) Average Monthly Wholesale Prices - AGMARKNET *Till 24 th November 2015.

(b) to (d): Government has taken several measures to ensure proper remunerative prices  to  the  farmers  producing  onion.  In  order  to  check  high  prices  of  onion  in  the market, as a temporary measure, Government allowed import of only 2000 tonnes of onion.     Hence,    no adverse   impact on farmers has been reported in this regard. The

steps taken by the Government to ensure remunerative prices to onion farmers are as under:

-  Assistance  is  provided  for  development  of  infrastructure  for  post harvest  management  and  marketing  such  as  storages,  wholesale markets, rural primary market,  Kissan Mandies, etc.
-  Facilitating  direct  marketing,  contract  farming,  setting  up  of  private markets, farmer consumer markets and e-markets.
-  Implementing  Market  Intervention  Scheme  (MIS)  for  procurement  of agricultural and horticultural commodities including onion, under which losses,  if  any,  are  shared  between  the  Central  Government  and  the State  Government  concerned  on  50:50  basis.  National  Agricultural Cooperative  Marketing  Federation  of  India  Limited  (NAFED)  is  a Central Agency implementing MIS operations of agricultural commodities including onion.
-  Providing  market  information  to  farmers  on  prices  and  arrivals  of agricultural commodities in regulated markets on AGMARKNET portal to enable the farmers to get better remunerative prices.
-  Export  of  onion  is  free,  subject  to  a  Minimum  Export  Price  (MEP) announced by the Government from time to time. To boost exports, recently  a  new  scheme  has  been  launched  namely  'Merchandize Exports  from  India  (MEIS)'  under  Foreign  Trade  Policy  2015-20, wherein  the  exporters/farmers  are  incentivized  for  export  of  their goods/products including onion to specified markets.

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