In 2023–24, Maharashtra accounted for approximately 34% of the country’s total onion production. However, the Centre's inconsistent policies on onion trade have become a major headache for onion farmers. In response, the Maharashtra state government has taken a proactive step by forming a 19-member committee for six months to draft a comprehensive onion policy. The committee will be headed by Pasha Patel, Chairman of the State Agricultural Price Commission. However, since key purchasing agencies like NAFED and NCCF fall under central government control, the state committee will have limited authority, which raises concerns.
Despite being the leading state in onion production, with around 90% of India’s supply coming from Nashik district, farmers in Maharashtra continue to face multiple challenges such as:
- Extreme price volatility
- Lack of storage infrastructure
- Frequent restrictions on exports
- Post-harvest losses
Additionally, frequent changes in import-export policies have destabilized the onion trade, putting both farmers and traders in financial trouble. The newly formed committee aims to tackle these issues by focusing on:
- Price stabilization
- Storage capacity enhancement
- Export promotion
- Market reforms
- Welfare measures for farmers
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Jagdish Patil, retired Deputy Director of Agriculture, welcomed the move but issued a caution. He said, “Forming a committee isn’t bad, but it shouldn’t just be a political gimmick ahead of elections. The policies recommended by the committee must be transparent and implemented effectively. It should include experienced onion farmers from Nashik and focus on ensuring that farmers recover their production costs.”
Committee Members Include:
- Director of Marketing (Pune)
- Executive Director of the State Marketing Board
- Director of Agriculture, Commissionerate of Agriculture (Pune)
- Joint Director, Maharashtra State Warehousing Corporation
- Secretaries from the Agriculture and Co-operative Departments
- Dr. Sunil Pawar (Retired Director of Marketing)
- Chief Statistical Officer, Agriculture Commissionerate (Pune)
- Chairpersons of APMCs from Lasalgaon and Solapur
- Head of Department, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri
- Prashant Waghmare, Regional Head, APEDA
- Bhaveshkumar Joshi, Deputy Advisor, Agricultural Marketing
- Director, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, Mumbai
- Deepak Chavan, Agri-market expert (Pune)
- Representative from Farmer Producer Organizations
- Three experts from the Marketing Department
- Deputy Director, Marketing Directorate, Pune
How Will This Committee Help?The committee is tasked with:
- In-depth analysis of climate-based production variations
- Studying the impact of national and international trade policies
- Evaluating storage, processing, and pricing challenges
- Recommending scientific and cold chain storage methods
- Creating buffer stock mechanisms to ensure an affordable onion supply
- Developing an intervention system in markets
- Drafting an action plan for boosting onion exports and market diversification