Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Farmers staged a protest outside the Gangapur Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) on the Gangapur–Nashik Road on Monday evening over low onion prices. Angry farmers threw onions on the road and raised slogans against the government. The protest caused a traffic jam in the area for nearly an hour.
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Farmers from Wahegaon, Ranjangaon, Mali Ghogargaon and nearby villages had brought onions to the market for sale. However, they received only Rs 100 to Rs 125 per quintal. Many farmers said they could not even recover their transport expenses at such low rates.
Ganesh Hiwale, a farmer from Wahegaon, said he brought 15 quintals of onions to the market by paying Rs 1,750 as transport charges. After paying porter, entry and weighing fees, he could not recover his basic cost. Other farmers, including Pandurang Dushing from Ranjangaon and Pradeep Gund from Ghogargaon, also faced similar losses.
The farmers alleged that traders were taking advantage of the recent weather changes and deliberately offering very low prices. They said it was better to throw the onions on the road than sell them at such rates.
After receiving information about the protest, APMC officials and police reached the spot and tried to calm the farmers. The agitation was later withdrawn.
APMC chairperson Acharna Sukashe said strict action would be taken if any trader was found harassing farmers. She appealed to farmers to directly contact the APMC with complaints.
Onion growers in the region have been struggling due to poor prices despite record onion production this year. Farmers had earlier also protested twice at the Lasur Station APMC over the same issue.
