Pune: The onion crisis in Maharashtra has become more severe as farmers continue to get extremely low prices for their produce. Mounting debt, crop losses and rising expenses have pushed many farmers into distress, while protests are now spreading across the state.
In a tragic incident, a farmer from Baglan tehsil of Nashik district allegedly died by suicide after suffering financial stress due to poor onion prices and crop losses. The farmer, identified as Gulab Nikam, owned around three acres of land and supported his wife and three children through farming. A large part of his onion crop was damaged due to unseasonal rain. The remaining produce fetched very low rates in the market, leaving him under heavy debt pressure.
Onion Crisis Deepens…
Farmers across Maharashtra say they are unable to recover even their transportation and labour costs. Santosh Shingare, a farmer from Dharur tehsil of Beed district, brought onions to the Solapur market with hopes of earning a fair price. After paying around Rs 1,500 for transport and labour, he received only Rs 301 after selling 602 kg of onions.
Another farmer, Sesherao Todkar from Beed district, suffered similar losses. After selling 12 quintals of onions, he reportedly had to pay Rs 301 from his own pocket to clear market-related expenses.
Issue Turns Political…
The issue has now turned political, with opposition parties and farmer organisations attacking the government over the falling onion prices. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti questioned whether the government was purchasing onions from farmers or traders. He also demanded onion procurement at Rs 12 per kg.
Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi launched major protests across the state. Thousands of farmers and activists staged a ‘Rasta Roko’ protest at Chandwad Chouphuli on the Mumbai–Agra National Highway in Nashik district. Protesters demanded a minimum support price of Rs 24 per kg and a subsidy of Rs 15 per kg on onions already sold.
Several opposition leaders, including Rohit Pawar, Ambadas Danve and Harshvardhan Sapkal, joined the protest. Many protesters wore onion garlands and raised slogans against the government. The agitation led to long traffic jams on the highway.
Police later detained Rohit Pawar, Ambadas Danve and Harshvardhan Sapkal as tensions increased during the protest.
CM Urges Calm…
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urged people to be calm and said the Central government had increased the onion procurement price by Rs 3.50 to Rs 15 per kg. He said the state government was in touch with the Centre regarding the issue. Fadnavis also accused some political leaders of trying to gain publicity through the protests.
Speaking during the agitation, Rohit Pawar said farmers were spending nearly Rs 18 to Rs 20 per kg on onion production, while market prices had fallen to Rs 4 to Rs 5 per kg. He said the situation had become unbearable for farmers, and immediate government intervention was necessary.
With anger growing among onion farmers, there are fears that protests could intensify further in the coming days.
