The story so far:
Since September 12, thousands of farmers from Maharashtra, India’s largest onion-producing State, have been holding a phone protest. The main reason for the agitation is the distress caused by the fall in market prices of onions. Farmers are demanding immediate government intervention and aid of ₹1,500 per quintal. Experts say the problem is systemic. Maharashtra has produced more onions than needed this year, and the quality of stored Rabi onions has deteriorated, lowering market prices. They argue that the government must streamline onion exports, establish a uniform export policy, build trust among importers, and hold discussions with key buyers to secure stable markets.
Why are farmers protesting?
At present, farmers say they earn only ₹800 to ₹1,000 per quintal for their onions, while the production cost stands at ₹2,200 to ₹2,500 per quintal. The Rabi onions stored by farmers in the hope of better rates are deteriorating, forcing them to sell at even lower prices. At the same time, the government has released its buffer stock in the market at cheaper prices, further dragging down rates.
“NCCF and NAFED should be stopped from selling their stocks in cities across the country,” one of the key demands put forth by the Maharashtra State Onion Producer Farmers’ Organisation said. National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF), a major consumer cooperative in India; and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), the apex cooperative organisation for promoting and developing the cooperative marketing of agricultural produce for the benefit of farmers, jointly procure, store and thereafter sell the onions in the market as a part of the Government of India’s price stabilisation policy.
