NASHIK: Farmers, who have sold their onions between January 1 and 31 this year, are likely to get the grant of Rs 200 per quintal.The state minister for cooperation and marketing Subhash Deshmukh has tweeted in this connection about the benefits of the onion grant to those farmers who have sold onions during this period.Initially, the grant was meant for only those onion farmers who had sold their product in the wholesale markets between November 1 and December 15. Thereafter, the government on Thursday issued a new GR stating that the farmers who sold onions between December 16 and 31 last year will also be entitle to government grant of Rs 200 per quintal.Now, Deshmukh has hinted that farmers who have sold their onions in Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in the state between January 1 and 31 will also get onion grant of Rs 200 per quintal."Onion farmers had come into financial trouble due to crash in wholesale onion prices. The state had announced the onion grant of Rs 200 per quintal to onion farmers and the grant time limit had been extended upto December 31 last year. But the wholesale onion prices were also at low level in January too. Hence, government has decided to extend the grant time limit for onion farmers upto January 31," tweeted Deshmukh.A decision about giving grant of Rs 200 per quintal had been taken by the government following huge distress among the farmers as the average wholesale prices of summer onions at the APMCs crashed by 85% in the last two months. The crop sold for Rs 1,350 per quintal on October 31 and Rs 200 per quintal in December.Around 72,296 farmers who had sold their produce in APMCs in Nashik district from November 1 to December 15 had applied for grant while 71,438 qualified for it. They had sold 27.07 lakh quintal of onions and will get Rs 54.93-crore grant."We are in the process of sending the proposals of the 71,438 farmers to the sate marketing board for further process. Applications of around 858 farmers were rejected due to various reasons," said an official from the office of DDR."Some farmers did not enclose their 7/12 extracts while some failed to submit the affidavit. However, these farmers will also get a chance to make compliance to get the benefit," said an official.

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