In a mark of solidarity with the farmers and trade unions call for Bharat Bandh, the trading operations at Lasalgaon APMC, which is the largest onion market, are shut for the day.
Chairman of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) at Lasalgaon, Suvarna Jagtap in a media statement said that in support of the ongoing farmers' agitation in New Delhi, all the traders, farmers and labourers of the market have decided to participate in the national strike.
The auction of agricultural commodities for grains and vegetables are closed, she said.
The traders at Lasalgaon APMC trade about 30,000 tonnes of onions per day. The trade volumes of tomato is also high. Price volatility of onions at Lasalgaon have a direct impact on the wholesale and retail markets in the country.
A senior Maharashtra Government official said that APMCs in districts dominated by the ruling Nationalist Congress Party are observing the Bharat Bandh. In Pune district almost all the APMCs are shut but retail shops outside the APMCs are working. Since it is a one-day strike, it will not have any major impact on the agriculture commodity trade, the official said.