Distressed by the crash in prices of onions, a farmer in Nashik district of Maharashtra lit a bonfire of the crop in protest against the government’s policies and to highlight the plight of growers.
The protest was held on the day of the Holika festival which is marked by the burning of bonfires in Maharashtra. Onion cultivators are battling a crisis as the prices of the kitchen staple have taken a hit at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Lasalgaon, the largest wholesale onion market in Asia, in Nashik.
The price per kilogram of onion came down to Rs 2 to Rs 4, which angered the growers, who had stopped the auction at the APMC last week for a day. Krishna Dongre, a farmer from Mathulthan village in Yeola taluka who burnt the onion crop cultivated on one-and-half acres of land, had printed an invitation card announcing the agitation which had gone viral on social media.
The Union and state governments have left the farmers to their fate. In their power struggle, they do not pay attention to whether the farmer survives or dies. This is a black day not only for Maharashtra but also for the nation as a farmer has been forced to light the bonfire of onions, he said and blamed the policies of the government.
The drop in onion prices has angered farmers in Nashik district as well as in the rest of the state and they are staging agitations. Maharashtra Rajya Kanda Utpadak Sanghatana (MRKUS) had stopped the auction of onions at Lasalgaon APMC on February 27. Similar agitations were staged in Chandwad and other parts of the district and across the state in the last week.
On Sunday, angry farmers gheraoed Union minister Bharati Pawar at Shirasgaon in Niphad taluka of Nashik district. They questioned why the onion crop is not getting a good price when the Centre says it has increased the export of onions.
A farmer leader had demanded the government immediately declare a Rs 1,500 per quintal grant for onions during the ongoing Budget session and purchase the produce, being currently sold at Rs 3,4, 5 per kg, for Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg. The farmer had said his onion yield fetched a price of Re 1 per kg at the Solapur market yard and after all the deductions he received this paltry sum as his net profit.