Maharashtra: As prices tumble, Nashik farmer lights bonfire of onions to protest

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 governments policies and to highlight the plight of growersThe protest was held on the day of the Holika festival which is marked by the burning of bonfires in MaharashtraOnion 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 NashikThe 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 dayKrishna Dongre a farmer from Mathulthan village in Yeola taluka who burnt the onion crop cultivated on oneandhalf acres of land had printed an invitation card announcing the agitation which had gone viral on social mediaThe 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 governmentFarmers from nearby villages were present at the protestThe drop in onion prices has angered farmers in Nashik district as well as in the rest of the state and they are staging agitationsMaharashtra 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 weekOn Sunday angry farmers gheraoed Union minister Bharati Pawar at Shirasgaon in Niphad taluka of Nashik districtAlso Read Mumbai Eight booked for cheating at police recruitment drive in cityThey questioned why the onion crop is not getting a good price when the Centre says it has increased the export of onionsA farmer leader had demanded the government immediately declare a Rs 1500 per quintal grant for onions during the ongoing Budget session and purchase the produce being currently sold at Rs 34 5 per kg for Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kgIn February a farmer from Solapur district suffered a rude shock when he got to know that he earned a profit of merely Rs 249 against the sale of his 512 kg onions to a trader in the districtThe 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 profitMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently told the legislature that the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India had purchased 18743 quintals of onions from the marketThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever