Sena UBT Blocks Samruddhi Expressway In Sambhajinagar Over Onion Prices, Ambadas Danve Detained Amid Protest - VIDEO

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Workers of Shiv Sena UBT staged a major 'chakka jam' agitation on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Monday, protesting the sharp fall in onion prices and demanding immediate relief measures for farmers.

The protest was led by Shiv Sena UBT leader and MLA Ambadas Danve at the Jambargaon interchange in Vaijapur tehsil around 10 am. Protestors blocked traffic on the expressway and burnt tyres, leading to a disruption in vehicular movement for some time.

In a statement shared on the social media platform X, the party said the agitation was organised in support of onion farmers who are facing severe financial distress due to extremely low market prices for their produce.

The party demanded that the Centre immediately begin onion procurement through National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), announce a minimum support price of Rs 2,000 per quintal and provide a subsidy of Rs 1,500 per quintal to farmers.

Other demands included permanently keeping onion exports open, directly transferring fertiliser subsidies into farmers’ bank accounts, offering 75 per cent subsidy for onion storage facilities, and supplying quality onion seeds at subsidised rates.

Danve Continued Protest Even After Denied Permission

Speaking to reporters during the agitation, Danve said the authorities had denied permission for the protest, but the party decided to go ahead to highlight the plight of onion cultivators. “We are here to support onion farmers. The government should procure onions at proper rates. That is our only demand,” Danve said.

He alleged that farmers were being forced to sell onions at rates as low as 25 to 50 paise per kilogram, pushing many into economic hardship. Danve further claimed that despite the Central government announcing a procurement price of Rs 12.35 per kilogram, actual procurement was not taking place effectively on the ground.

“Onion cultivators are committing suicide because they are unable to recover even their production costs,” he alleged. Police later detained Danve and several party workers before taking them to Vaijapur police station. The blockade was subsequently cleared and traffic movement on the expressway resumed.

The protest comes amid a sharp decline in onion prices across Maharashtra. Last week, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced that the Centre would procure onions from farmers at Rs 12.35 per kilogram.

However, traders and farmer groups have claimed that exports have been severely impacted due to the ongoing West Asia crisis, leading to oversupply in domestic markets and crashing prices for the kitchen staple.

The agitation is expected to intensify political pressure on both the state and Central governments as farmer organisations continue to demand stronger intervention to stabilise onion prices and prevent further financial losses to farmers.

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