While farmers of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra protested against the imposition of a 40 percent export duty on onions, the government has resumed onion procurement at Rs 2,410 per quintal for buffer stock. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said, some political opponents are presenting a wrong picture regarding the export duty imposed on onions. Farmers should not worry. The government is with them.

Goyal said, the government has imposed 40 percent export duty on onions till December 31 to increase domestic availability amid apprehension of price hike. Along with this, the Center has also decided to buy additional two lakh tonnes of onions from the farmers. Goyal said, the government will increase the size of the buffer stock. Will buy more from farmers if needed.

Goyal said, the rate at which the government is buying onions is a historic rate. This is much higher than the average Rs 1,800-1,900 per quintal that farmers usually get from exports. I would appeal to the farmers of onion-producing states not to worry and not to do panic selling. NCCF and NAFED have been instructed to buy onions from farmers.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced to set up of Kanda Mahabank for onion storage where 10 lakh tonnes can be stored. Shinde said that work has started as per the recommendation of the Anil Kakodkar Committee. With this, 60 thousand people will get direct and indirect employment. Apart from this, Krishi Samriddhi Project will be set up at 13 places in the state.

Fadnavis spoke to Shah and Goyal: In view of the increased displeasure among the farmers, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who went on a tour of Japan, spoke to the Union Ministers over the phone. Fadnavis wrote on X, have spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Piyush Goyal to solve the problem of onion growers of Maharashtra. The central government has decided to buy two lakh tonnes of onions immediately. Cooperative Societies National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (Nafed) is procuring onions in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. He said, both the customer and the farmer are important to us and we are taking decisions in the interest of both.

Bharatiya Kisan Sangh has chalked out a strategy to gherao all the MPs of Madhya Pradesh. The union said that if 40 percent export duty on onion exports is not removed, then farmers will gherao all MPs of Madhya Pradesh within a week. On these demands, the farmers protested at the Indore collector's office on Tuesday.