Mumbai: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday acknowledged that farm distress cost the ruling Mahayuti alliance dearly in the Lok Sabha polls and said he will meet the new Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and raise the issue of fixing support price for onion, soybean and cotton.
At a meeting of the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Price, Shinde said he has spoken about farm-related issues to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We faced issues because of onions around Nashik [a major production centre of the kitchen staple]. Onions made us cry in Nashik, soybean and cotton in Marathwada and Vidarbha,” he said.
“We will talk about fixing support price for onion, soyabean and cotton with the Union agriculture minister,” Shinde said. A ban on onion export by the Centre in December last year to control retail prices led to protests by farmers, especially in the Nashik belt. The ban was eventually lifted in early May. On Tuesday Shinde also reviewed the drought-like situation in some parts of the state, and told the administration to make plans for the Kharif crops and ensure availability of fertilisers and seeds for farmers.
Senior ministers and bureaucrats were present at the meeting in Sahyadri. Shinde asked collectors to purchase plastic water tanks and install solar water pumps in areas affected by frequent electricity failure. He said electricity to farms should not be cut due to non-payment of bills. The CM also said all preparations should be made to deal with monsoon emergencies in the state.
