Onion auctions at almost all Agriculture Produce Market Committees in Nashik, Maharashtra, will remain close from Monday and the stir will continue till the Centre lifts ban on export of onion, traders said on Saturday.

This decision was taken at a meeting of Directors of all Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in the district, a major onion producing centre, held at Pimpalgaon Baswant near here today, Lalasgaon APMC Director Mr Devdutt Holkar said.

Onion growers of Satana and Niphad areas today staged a ’rasta-roko’ demanding lifting of the ban imposed on September 8 in view of the rising prices of the commodity.

Farmers forced closure of auctions at Lasalgaon, Pimpalgaon Baswant and other centres yesterday to protest the ban which they said will adversely affect the onion growers.

Meanwhile, NCP MP from Nashik Mr Sameer Bhujbal has written a letter to Union Finance Minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee seeking an end to the ban.