New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said that a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has yielded several key decisions aimed at providing major relief to onion growers, sugarcane farmers and the sugar industry in Maharashtra.

These include procurement of onions through NAFED and NCCF at Rs 1,580 per quintal, expansion of procurement from 2 lakh tonnes to 10 lakh tonnes, enhancement of onion storage and sorting-grading facilities, an increase in the ethanol quota, review of the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) for sugar, restructuring of sugar mills’ debts, and a positive resolution of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) issues concerning sugarcane labourers.

Depty CM Shinde said these measures would provide substantial support to lakhs of farmers and strengthen the cooperative sector in the state.

To shield onion farmers from fluctuations in market prices, Union Minister Amit Shah directed NAFED and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) to undertake large-scale onion procurement. A procurement rate of Rs 1,580 per quintal has been fixed for this purpose, while a proposal has also been made to scale up procurement capacity from the current 2 lakh tonnes to 10 lakh tonnes.

He further said emphasis would be laid on expanding modern warehouses as well as sorting and grading facilities for onion storage. It was also clarified during the meeting that the Central government would take positive steps to boost onion exports.

The demands raised by sugarcane farmers and the sugar industry also received a positive response during the meeting. According to Shinde, the Centre adopted a supportive approach towards increasing the ethanol production quota, reviewing the sugar MSP, restructuring debts of cooperative sugar mills, and implementing measures to ease the financial distress faced by the sector.

Shinde further said an assurance had been given to resolve pending issues concerning sugarcane cutters, including their EPF-related grievances, in a swift and positive manner.

Additionally, he said a balanced policy regarding commercial and domestic sugar prices would be maintained to ensure that consumers are not burdened with additional costs.

Speaking to reporters, DCM Shinde highlighted the Central government’s initiatives for the cooperative sector over the past few years. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation had ushered in major changes.

He said tax concessions for cooperative societies across the country, computerisation and digitisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), and expansion of services in rural areas had infused fresh momentum into the cooperative movement.

Shinde also announced that the Maharashtra government had decided to provide financial assistance to Alphonso (Hapus) mango growers who suffered losses due to recent natural calamities. Assistance would be extended through various government schemes to support the affected farmers.

He reiterated that the decisions taken by the Central government would bring significant relief to onion growers, sugarcane farmers, labourers and the sugar industry.

By prioritising farmers’ welfare, these decisions would strengthen the rural economy and accelerate growth in Maharashtra’s agriculture and cooperative sectors, he added, describing the meeting as “extremely positive and decisive”.

–IANS

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