Nashik: Rohit Pawar To Meet Distressed Onion Farmers In Lasalgaon Amid Price Crash

Nashik: NCP leader Rohit Pawar will visit Lasalgaon on Monday, May 18, to interact directly with onion farmers who are facing severe financial distress due to crashing onion prices across the state.

Farmers allege that despite the worsening situation, the government has remained indifferent to the crisis. In Maharashtra, onion is not merely a crop but a crucial part of the state’s economy, politics, and everyday life. While rising onion prices often shake governments, falling prices continue to devastate farmers.

For months, farmers work tirelessly in their fields, hoping that onion sales will help them run their households, repay debts, and support their children’s education. However, many are now being pushed toward despair as prices continue to collapse.

The recent case of farmer Prakash Galdhar from Varudi village in Paithan taluka of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district has triggered outrage across Maharashtra. Galdhar had brought around 1,262 kg of onions in 25 sacks to the market committee for sale. However, deductions including labour charges, weighing fees, transport costs, sack expenses, and other charges exceeded the total sale amount.

After all calculations, the farmer was left with nothing in hand and reportedly had to pay Re 1 from his own pocket to clear the market committee charges. The receipt of this transaction has since gone viral on social media, sparking widespread anger.

Against this backdrop, Rohit Pawar’s visit to Lasalgaon is being seen as an attempt to raise the concerns of onion growers and press the government for urgent intervention. In a social media post, Pawar expressed hope that the “stone-hearted government” would finally respond seriously to the issue before May 19.