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Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Why are Maharashtra onion farmers asking for Rs 1 lakh per acre compensation?
Onion farmers in Nashik have recently written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanding compensation of Rs 1 lakh per acre for damages suffered owing to unseasonal rainfall in May. Bharat Dighole, President, Maharashtra Onion Growers Association, said many farmers have completely lost their crop in the untimely rain. This year, Maharashtra registered 1007 per cent of normal rainfall in May. As against the 14.4 mm of normal rainfall, Maharashtra had received 159.4 mm of rainfall last month. In the onion belt of Nashik-Pune-Ahilyanagar, the rainfall has been exceptionally heavy. Nashik had received 747 per cent of its normal rainfall, whereas Pune and Ahilyangar received 948 per cent of their normal rainfall. Rainfall in May, although not unusual, happened at a time when onion harvesting got delayed, leading to greater losses. Farmers had trouble arranging for labour due to the high temperatures in April, otherwise, the crop could have been harvested after March. At present, wholesale onion prices at the Lasalgaon market in the Nashik district are ranging between Rs 1,100-1,200/quintal. These prices, farmers said, do not even meet the cost of production, which is almost Rs 2,000/quintal. 'Farmers who sold their onions at throwaway prices must be compensated,' Dighole said. In order to help farmers get better prices, the Centre has asked the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) as well as the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) to commence procurement of onions. 'The base price for this procurement must be Rs 2,000/quintal so that the wholesale market prices rise,' Dighole argued. Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Onion farmers' body demands financial relief from state govt
N Tired of too many ads? go ad free now ashik: The Maharashtra Onion Growers Association (MOGA) has urged state govt to provide immediate financial relief to onion farmers affected by recent bouts of heavy showers. According to Bharat Dighole, President of MOGA, continuous rainfall has led to rotting of onion crops across thousands of acres. Major onion-producing districts such as Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Jalgaon, Dhule, Chhatrapati Sambhajingar, Pune, Solapur, Beed, and Sangli have been significantly impacted, with farmers unable to harvest their produce due to the incessant downpour. "Onions kept in the fields after harvest were also damaged due to the rainfall. Hence, state govt should provide financial relief of Rs1 lakh per acre to farmers for damage to onion crops. Additionally, a grant of Rs2,000 per quintal should be given to the farmers who sold their produce at a lower rate due to a drop in wholesale prices caused by faulty policies of the govt," Dighole said. The association on Thursday sent letters to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and two deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, highlighting their demands. Dighole said the Centre already announced the procurement of 3 lakh tonnes under Price Stability Funds to create a buffer stock through central govt agencies — the National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed) and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF). "We want both the central agencies to procure onions directly from onion farmers at the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) at Rs3,000 per quintal," he said.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Hindu
Maharashtra farmers write to CM, Deputy CMs seeking relief for rain-damaged onion crop
Demanding compensation for damaged agricultural produce due to unseasonal rains, the Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers Association (MSOPFA) on Thursday (May 29, 2025) wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. The farmers said the onion-producing districts in the State had been facing untimely rains since May 6, which had financially broken the spirit of the affected farmers, already reeling under debt, the letter signed by the founding president of the organisation, Bharat Dighole, and Nashik district president of MSOPFA, Jaideep Bhadane, stated. The major onion producing regions in Maharashtra are Jalgaon, Dhule, Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Pune, Solapur, Beed, Dharashiv, Sangli, Buldhana, Akola, Parbhani, and Jalna. The farmers also demanded transparency in the operations of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), which operates a network of cooperatives and agencies to procure and sell produce, ensuring fair prices for farmers. NAFED also implements government schemes, including the Price Support Scheme to stabilise the prices of agricultural commodities, benefiting farmers. 'Since May 6, farmers across the State are witnessing heavy to extremely heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. Maharashtra is the largest producer of onions. While the harvesting of summer (Rabi) season of onions is underway, due to this unseasonal rain, onions on thousands of hectares have rotted in the fields without being harvested. Onions that were harvested are soaked in the fields with rainwater,' the MSOPFA letter stated. 'Due to the incessant rains every day, thousands of tonnes of onions are rotting in the fields, which has led to financial losses of crores of rupees, with farmers already struggling under debt,' Mr. Dighole told The Hindu. 'On behalf of the onion farmers in the State, we are demanding that the State government appoint an independent committee to strictly enforce the implementation of the Central government's buffer stock of three lakh tonnes of onion purchased from the State through both NAFED and NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India) at a rate of ₹3,000 per quintal. Since the Mahayuti government won in our State with a clear majority, and our government is also in power at the Centre, we humbly request the government to help the farmers with urgent financial assistance, and wipe our tears,' Mr. Dighole said.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Mumbai, Pune Rain: How heavy showers in Maharashtra could bring tears to your kitchen
Unseasonal rainfall across onion-growing regions of Maharashtra, including key regions like Nashik and Pune, has damaged large quantities of crops, raising fears of reduced supply and a possible rise in prices. For consumers in cities, this could soon mean higher onion bills at local markets. Several districts in the state have experienced heavy rainfall since early May. The rains, coming at the end of the Rabi harvesting season, have hit harvested and standing onion crops, pushing farmers into fresh losses and disrupting the supply chain. As a result, farmers are facing substantial crop losses, which could lead to reduced market supply and potential price hikes for consumers in the coming weeks. Rain damages onion harvests across major growing districts Onion-growing regions, including Konkan, Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur, Amravati and Nagpur have experienced continuous rainfall since May 6. Farmers in Dhule, Ahilyanagar, Solapur, Beed, Dharashiv, Akola, Jalna, Buldhana and Jalgaon have also reported crop losses due to the unexpected downpour. "Unseasonal rains have lashed onion-growing districts of Dhule, Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, Solapur, Beed, Dharashiv, Akola, Jalna, Buldhana, and Jalgaon. Prices were already down and have further slumped due to unseasonal rains," Bharat Dighole, founder-president of the Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers Association told PTI. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. 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Techno Mag Learn More Undo Market supply hit as stored and standing crops suffer According to Dighole, many farmers who harvested early, before March, managed to secure a decent yield. However, those who waited till April or May have seen their crops hit by extreme heat followed by rain. The sudden shift in weather has affected both harvested onions stored in open fields and standing crops still awaiting harvest. Also Read: Check all the live updates about Mumbai rain Live Events You Might Also Like: Southwest Monsoon to reach Mumbai, Bengaluru, other regions in next three days: IMD "Farmers who have harvested the crop before March this year have got good yield per acre, and those harvesting in April-May haven't been lucky, as the crop has faced excessive heat and unseasonal rains. Several farmers do not have storage facilities, and those who store their produce in the fields have been worst affected in the rains since May 6," he said. Prices low for now, but supply may tighten As of May 20, the average onion price in Lasalgaon market — one of the largest wholesale markets for onions — stood at ₹1,150 per quintal. With a possible decline in market arrivals due to damaged crops, wholesale prices may see upward pressure in the near term. Onion acreage reached record high this year In 2024–25, onion was cultivated across 6,51,965 hectares in Maharashtra, a significant jump from 4,64,884 hectares in 2023–24 and 5,53,212 hectares in 2022–23. Nashik alone accounted for 2,90,136 hectares this year, making it the largest contributor. Exports remain strong despite past restrictions Despite repeated restrictions on exports imposed by the Union government since 2019, India has maintained a steady volume of outbound onion shipments. Maharashtra remains the country's leading onion exporter. "In 2018-19, 21.83 lakh tonnes of onions were exported, bringing in Rs 3,468 crore in foreign currency. In 2019-20, 11.49 lakh tonnes were exported, and the revenue was Rs 2,320 crore. It was 15.73 lakh tonnes and Rs 3,432 crore in 2021-22, and in 2022-23, we exported 25.25 lakh tonnes of onions and earned Rs 4,522 crore. The figure was 17.17 lakh tonnes and Rs 3,922 crore for 2023-24," Dighole said. Farmers urge policy clarity on domestic demand Dighole called for a clearer national production estimate to help plan both domestic distribution and export strategies. "In such a scenario, there will be no scarcity, and consumers can get affordable onions. When onion prices rise, the government steps in to control it by levying export duty, minimum export prices and banning exports. Farmers suffer because of it," he said. As the rain clouds linger over Maharashtra, the price of onions may soon start to reflect the damage done in the fields — with household budgets in urban centres like Mumbai and Pune likely to feel the pinch. (Inputs from PTI)
The Print
25-05-2025
- Climate
- The Print
Amid price slump, unseasonal rains double headache for Maharashtra's onion farmers
The damage in real terms is yet to be ascertained as the rains continue and panchnamas (spot assessment) haven't been done, he lamented. Onion crops on thousands of acres have been damaged in the rains, leaving farmers staring at heavy losses, Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers Association founder-president Bharat Dighole told PTI. Mumbai, May 25 (PTI) Pre-monsoon rains in several parts of Maharashtra since the beginning of May have increased the worries of the state's onion cultivators, who are already stressed about falling prices of the kitchen staple. Onion-producing areas in Konkan, Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur, Amravati and Nagpur have been witnessing heavy unseasonal rains since May 6. 'Unseasonal rains have lashed onion-growing districts of Dhule, Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, Solapur, Beed, Dharashiv, Akola, Jalna, Buldhana, and Jalgaon. Prices were already down and have further slumped due to unseasonal rains,' he said. He said in the Lasalgaon market, as of May 20, the average price was Rs 1,150 per quintal. Onion growers begin preparations for the Rabi season a year in advance, with the nursery being set up in August-September 2024 and replantation carried out from November (2024) to January (2025), Dighole explained. 'Farmers who have harvested the crop before March this year have got good yield per acre, and those harvesting in April-May haven't been lucky, as the crop has faced excessive heat and unseasonal rains. Several farmers do not have storage facilities, and those who store their produce in the fields have been worst affected in the rains since May 6,' he pointed out. The harvested crops of these farmers have become wet, while even standing crops have been damaged in many areas, Dighole added. In 2022-23, onion cultivation was on 5,53,212 hectares, while in 2023-24, it was on 4,64,884 hectares, and in 2024-25, on a record 6,51,965 hectares, he said. Dighole said Nashik is the largest onion-producing region in the country, and in 2024-25, the crop was cultivated on 2,90,136 hectares, while it was on 1,67,285 hectares in 2023-24 and 2,48,417 hectares in 2022-23. Despite bans being imposed by the Union government now and then since 2019, exports have been robust and brought in substantial revenue, with Maharashtra being the leading state in the country in this regard, he pointed out. 'In 2018-19, 21.83 lakh tonnes of onions were exported, bringing in Rs 3,468 crore in foreign currency. In 2019-20, 11.49 lakh tonnes were exported, and the revenue was Rs 2,320 crore. It was 15.73 lakh tonnes and Rs 3,432 crore in 2021-22, and in 2022-23, we exported 25.25 lakh tonnes of onions and earned Rs 4,522 crore. The figure was 17.17 lakh tonnes and Rs 3,922 crore for 2023-24,' he said, giving nationwide figures. The Union government must make public the yearly output needed in the country so that farmers can plan accordingly and excess produce can be exported. 'In such a scenario, there will be no scarcity, and consumers can get affordable onions. When onion prices rise, the government steps in to control it by levying export duty, minimum export prices and banning exports. Farmers suffer because of it,' Dighole asserted. PTI MR BNM ARU This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
