Reports from Nashik indicate that nearly 20 per cent of the stored onions have already rotted. Those who are bringing onions to market are receiving an average price of ₹1,263 per tonne, far lower than the ₹3,078 per tonne farmers fetched in August 2024.
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JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
The Maharashtra State Onion Producer Farmers’ Organisation has accused the government of deliberately suppressing onion prices in wholesale and retail markets to gain political advantage ahead of the civic polls in the State and the assembly elections in Bihar. Farmer leaders warn that such policies are causing heavy losses to cultivators and may trigger State-wide agitation.
Bharat Dighole, president of the organisation, alleged that the government is making every possible effort to ensure that onion prices remain low to keep consumers satisfied. “These moves may help consumers in the short term, but they are disastrous for farmers who have already invested heavily in onion cultivation. We are preparing to launch protests against the government’s anti-farmer stance,” Dighole said. He also criticised what he termed the government’s “inconsistent policies,” which have destabilised the onion market and worsened the crisis for growers.
According to farmers, Maharashtra had produced about 163 lakh tonnes of summer (rabi) onions in the last season, with Nashik district alone accounting for nearly 80 per cent of this production. Since May, farmers have been releasing stored onions into the market. However, despite large-scale arrivals, nearly 40 lakh tonnes of onions are still lying in storage facilities (locally known as chawls). Farmers say they are waiting for better prices, but the prolonged storage has resulted in massive spoilage.
20% of stored onions rot
Reports from Nashik indicate that nearly 20 per cent of the stored onions have already rotted. Those who are bringing onions to market are receiving an average price of ₹1,263 per tonne, far lower than the ₹3,078 per tonne farmers fetched in August 2024. Effectively, farmers are selling at almost 60 per cent less than last year, leaving them unable to recover even basic cultivation and storage costs.
Some growers, however, are holding out hope of a recovery. Heavy rains in Karnataka have destroyed and damaged a substantial quantity of onions, raising expectations that reduced supply from the southern State may improve prices in Maharashtra in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, farmer organisations in Maharashtra have decided to intensify their lobbying efforts. They plan to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as well as senior officials of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) to demand government intervention. Farmers want procurement at fair prices and measures to prevent distress sales during the election season.
Published on August 29, 2025