Rohit Pawar joins onion farmers' protest; says govt must buy produce at ₹25 per kg

Rohit Pawar joins onion farmers' protest; says govt must buy produce at ₹25 per kg

Nashik, Maharashtra NCP MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday demanded that the government procure onions at ₹25 per kg and provide compensation to farmers who had sold their produce at distress prices, in the backdrop of the falling rates of the key kitchen staple.

Rohit Pawar joins onion farmers' protest; says govt must buy produce at ₹25 per kg

Pawar, along with party MPs Nilesh Lanke and Bhaskar Bhagare, joined onion growers in a tractor rally and sit-in protest at Lasalgaon Agricultural Produce Market Committee in Nashik, one of the largest onion trading centres in the country.

The protesters symbolically ate onions and bhakri to draw attention to the plight of farmers.

Onion prices have fallen as exports have been affected due to the West Asia crisis.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday announced that the Centre will procure the bulb at the rate of ₹12.35 per kg from farmers.

Speaking at a protest here on Monday, Pawar claimed that onion growers in Maharashtra were unable to recover even their cost of production, and many had suffered substantial losses.

Several farmers were forced to bear transportation expenses from their own pockets after selling onions at throwaway prices, the legislator from the Opposition NCP said.

According to Pawar, the cost of producing onions is between ₹17 and ₹20 per kg, while farmers are currently receiving around ₹12.50 per kg, which he described as a grave injustice.

The government should procure all onions directly from farmers at market committees at ₹25 per kg, instead of relying on procurement through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd, he said.

Pawar also demanded a subsidy of ₹15 to ₹20 per kg for farmers who had earlier sold onions at very low prices.

If the government failed to address the issue and accept the demands of onion growers, the agitation would be intensified in the coming days, he added.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.