The sharp fall in onion prices has added to the mounting troubles of farmers already reeling under financial stress caused by unseasonal rain, hailstorms, and rising cultivation costs. A tense situation unfolded at the Satana Agricultural Produce Market Committee on May 7 after onions fetched a meagre Rs 50 per quintal during the auction process. The extremely low rate sparked outrage among farmers, who claimed they were being pushed deeper into crisis despite suffering repeated losses over the past few months. The incident triggered protests within the market committee premises, with cultivators demanding immediate intervention from the authorities to ensure fair prices for their produce.
The controversy erupted after Jitendra Salunkhe, a farmer from Karhe village in Baglan taluka, brought his onion stock to the Satana market committee for sale. During the auction, his onions reportedly received a price of only Rs 50 per quintal, leaving farmers stunned and furious. Several cultivators gathered at the market yard expressed anger, saying that after enduring crop losses due to adverse weather conditions, they were now unable to recover even the basic production cost. As tensions escalated, protesting farmers parked an onion-laden tractor directly outside the market committee office and launched an agitation. They alleged that traders were deliberately offering lower prices through mutual coordination and accused the market administration of failing to protect farmers’ interests.
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A similar protest was witnessed at the Lasur Station Agricultural Produce Market Committee in Waluj on Wednesday after onions reportedly fetched only Rs 100 per quintal during the auction. Agitated onion growers staged a sit-in protest outside the market committee gate and raised slogans against the government. Farmers claimed that the rates being offered in wholesale markets were far below the actual cultivation expenses, making it impossible for them to sustain farming activities. They demanded urgent government intervention to stabilise onion prices and provide relief to cultivators facing continuous losses due to weather-related crop damage and declining market returns.