Mumbai: The sharp fall in onion prices in Maharashtra has pushed farmers into deep financial distress, with the issue now set to reach the Centre. Senior leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance are expected to meet Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to seek immediate relief measures for onion growers who are struggling to recover even their production costs.
According to reports, the state government has already announced a minimum procurement price of Rs 1,580 per quintal for onions as a relief measure. However, farmer groups and opposition leaders say the move is not enough to address the scale of losses faced by cultivators in key onion growing belts of Maharashtra.
Mahayuti leaders are likely to seek additional support from the Centre, including stronger procurement assistance and possible export related relief. The government is expected to push for measures that can stabilise onion prices and prevent further economic hardship for farmers.
The issue has also triggered protests in Nashik, one of the country’s most important onion trading regions. Maharashtra NCP SP MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday demanded that the government procure onions at Rs 25 per kilogram and compensate farmers who had already sold their produce at extremely low rates.
Pawar joined a tractor rally and protest at the Lasalgaon Agricultural Produce Market Committee along with party MPs Nilesh Lanke and Bhaskar Bhagare. Lasalgaon is among India’s largest onion trading hubs. As part of the protest, demonstrators symbolically ate onions and bhakri to highlight the hardship of farmers.
The fall in prices has been linked partly to export disruptions caused by the West Asia crisis. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had earlier announced that the Centre would procure onions from farmers at Rs 12.35 per kilogram. However, opposition leaders argue that this price does not cover the actual cost of cultivation.
Rohit Pawar claimed that the cost of growing onions in Maharashtra is between Rs 17 and Rs 20 per kilogram, while many farmers are currently receiving around Rs 12.50 per kilogram. He described the situation as a serious injustice to farmers and said several growers had even been forced to pay transportation costs from their own pockets after selling onions at low prices.
The NCP SP leader demanded that the government directly buy the entire onion stock from farmers through market committees at Rs 25 per kilogram, instead of depending only on procurement through NAFED. He also sought a subsidy of Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kilogram for farmers who had already sold onions at distress prices.
With pressure mounting from both farmers and opposition parties, the Centre’s response will be closely watched. If relief measures are not announced soon, farmer leaders have warned that the agitation may intensify in the coming days.