In the US, onions are the only commodity that can not be traded as a futures contract due to 1958 Onion Futures Act. Why was this restriction not repealed along with other deregulation measures of 80s and 90s? Why was onion seen as different from other commodities?

The restriction on trading on ions as a fut ures contract in the US is due to the On ion Fut ures Act of 1 9 5 8 , which was en act ed in response to market manip ulation and price vol at ility in the on ion market . The act prohib ited the trading of on ions as a fut ures contract in order to prevent further market manip ulation and to protect consumers from price fluctuations . \n \n While other commod ities were dere g ulated in the 8 0 s and 9 0 s , on ions were seen as different due to their unique characteristics and the historical market manip ulation that led to the On ion Fut ures Act . Additionally , on ions are a st ap le food item and have a significant impact on the economy and consumer prices , which made them a priority for regulation . \n \n It is important to note that while the On ion Fut ures Act was en act ed to protect consumers and prevent market manip ulation , it has also had un int ended consequences , such as limiting the ability of farmers to hed ge their risks and reducing liquid ity in the on ion market . As such , there have been calls for reform and re evalu ation of the act in recent years . </s>