Title: Regarding steady fall in the market price of onion and lifting the ban on onion export to save the farmers and daily wage-earning workers.
SHRI C.P. RADHAKRISHNAN (COIMBATORE): Sir, through you, I would like to raise an important matter to draw the attention of the House in this ‘Zero Hour’.
Sir, the matter is not only of concern to my constituency alone but also it is a concern of the entire onion cultivating agriculturist community of the nation. As everybody is aware, the market price of the onion is at its low for the past one year and the new onion harvest season has already started. The market price of onion in my area is only Rs.1.75 per kilogram whereas the agriculturists are getting only a price between Rs.1 to Rs.1.25 per kilogram.
MR. SPEAKER: These are the last days. Please co-operate with the Chair. Then only I can accommodate many Members. Please do not disturb me also.
SHRI C.P. RADHAKRISHNAN : The onion variety in my area is popularly known as Bellary Red Big Onion which is a good variety but highly perishable. The unseasonal frequent rain made the life of onion cultivating farmers more miserable. It is highly difficulty for the farmers to preserve the onion in wet conditions. Already, one million tonnes of onion is harvested from my area and one more million tonnes of onion will be harvested within another one month.
MR. SPEAKER: Shri Radhakrishnan, you are a senior Member. You cannot read it in the ‘Zero Hour’. How can you read?
SHRI C.P. RADHAKRISHNAN : I will take only two minutes more.
So, I urge upon the Government to lift the total ban on onion export to save the agriculturists community and also the daily wage earning agricultural workers. On a very speedy measure, the NAFED should start purchasing directly or indirectly, at least, half a million tonnes of onion from my area, namely, Ponglore, Polladam, Pollachi, Udumalai Pet, Kundadam and Tenkasi.
