MAHA-FPC will build storage grid for onion

Pune: To regulate the fluctuating onion prices, the Maharashtra Farmers Producer Company Ltd (MAHA-FPC) has decided to build a 25,000 metric tonne storage grid for onion which will help to store onions for a longer period of time thus preventing the deterioration. The MAHA-FPC has also decided to start 25 other aggregation units in the state which will help onion farmers on a large scale.

These units will be set up in areas like Junnar, Indapur, Narayangaon in Pune district and other locations including Ahmednagar, Nashik, Osmanabad and Beed. Speaking about the initiative, Yogesh Thorat, Managing Director of MAHA-FPC, said that these initiatives will also help us export onions in other states. “The infrastructure cost to build these units will be borne 25 per cent by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), 50 per cent by the government and 25 per cent by farmers in the form of equity,” added Thorat.

The managing director said that Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are two other states with a large production of onions and this year. 

These two states will not be in a position to export much of onions and so Maharashtra has a good scope to export to other states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu. “This will help in getting a good price for onion. Currently, we are paying Rs 750 to Rs 1,000 per tonne to farmers and the price is market driven,” added Thorat.

MAHA-FPC helps farmers associated with it to collect, aggregate and sell their produce. Thorat said that farmers should delay the cutting of onion as there will be high demand for it in January. Thorat said that MAHA-FPC is working on a market-driven model. Other members of MAHA-FPC said that farmers are waiting for prices to rise so that they get good returns but as the shelf life of onion starts reducing the price of onion declines and so rather holding, farmers should sell their produce at right time.