Farmers wore onion garlands and blocked the highway in the Ambegaon taluka of the Pune district. File picture
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The protest by onion farmers in Maharashtra intensified on Tuesday (June 2, 2026), as protesters, along with political leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), staged a ‘rasta roko’ on the Pune-Nashik national highway, demanding an MSP of ₹25-30 per kg for their produce. Farmers wore onion garlands and blocked the highway in the Ambegaon taluka of the Pune district. They demanded a guaranteed price of ₹3,000 per quintal and compensation for farmers who sold their produce at a lower rate. Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal, NCP-SP leader Rohit Pawar, Nilesh Lanke, Shashikant Shinde, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLA Babaji Kale, and former MLA Ashok Pawar joined the protest in Ambegaon taluka of Pune district. Also Read | Maharashtra Cabinet clears farm loan waiver; 56 lakh farmers to benefitWhile addressing farmers, Mr. Sapkal said, “The farmers who are investing hefty amounts to grow the onion are selling their produce at throwaway prices. This is because of the centre’s flawed policies and the state government’s failure. We will continue to fight till farmers receive ₹3000 per quintal.” Rohit Pawar called out the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led government for risking the lives of 25 lakh onion farmers and their families. He said,” Visit their home, farmers are threatening to take their lives. They are worried as this year, due to El-Nino, monsoon is weak, rates of last season’s yields are meagre, so how will they survive?”In the last three weeks, onion farmers staged a protest for the third time, demanding the government pay a guaranteed price of Rs 3,000 per quintal and procure onion stock from Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED). “Inflation is rising, agricultural costs are rising, this is burdening farmers financially as they are unable to recover even their production costs at current market rates,” said Mr. Sapkal. Mr. Shinde highlighted that onion farmers are facing a financial crisis due to decisions on export bans and restrictions imposed on farmers through the Essential Commodities Act, saying, “Farmers have resentment over the government’s anti-farmer policies. Their hard work must receive fair compensation or intensify the struggle.” Published - June 03, 2026 01:40 am IST
