MAHARASHTRA, BEED, 14/05/2024 : Amid the final stretch of Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha elections, onion farmers in the key producing districts of Nashik are casting their votes under the cloud of economic distress and policy dissatisfaction. The frequent imposition and lifting of export bans by the government has left many farmers struggling financially and feeling betrayed. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers Association has announced a statewide “phone strike” beginning on Friday (September 12, 2025), which will continue for seven consecutive days.
The phone protest is a coordinated campaign in which farmers from districts across Maharashtra will directly call ministers and other public representatives to inform them about their grievances regarding low onion prices and demand immediate action.
During this period, onion farmers across Maharashtra will directly call Members of Parliament, MLAs, State ministers, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, deputy chief ministers, and other central government authorities to demand answers regarding the steep fall in onion prices, said Bharat Dighole, founding president of the association.
Mr. Dighole said that the association’s office bearers across the State have been meticulously planning the campaign to ensure maximum impact. The farmers’ protest comes in response to a prolonged crisis in the onion market. For the past five to six months, summer onions stored in paddy fields have been sold at prices far below the cost of production. While cultivating onions costs between ₹ 2,200 to ₹ 2,500 per quintal, farmers are receiving only ₹800 to ₹1,200 per quintal, leading to substantial financial losses.
Mr. Dighole alleged that the government has largely ignored the farmers’ plight. He urged the central government to implement measures such as export subsidies to boost international sales of onions and demanded compensation of ₹1,500 per quintal for farmers who sold onions at low prices in recent months. He also called for stopping the release of onions from National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF) buffer stocks at cheap rates, which he said depresses market prices further.
He said, “The main aim of the phone strike is to directly communicate farmers’ concerns to public representatives and compel urgent government action to raise onion prices. Farmers are demanding a price that ensures at least 50% profit on production costs and an end to decisions that harm them, such as export bans, hoarding, or selling buffer stock at low prices.”
He further added, “Farmers have stored onions for months, hoping to get a fair price. But government policies continue to focus on consumer prices, leaving farmers’ hard-earned money wasted. We will no longer remain silent. Through this phone protest, every farmer will demand answers directly from public representatives. We will continue the struggle until fair prices are ensured.”
The protest aims to draw the government’s attention to the challenges faced by onion farmers, push for urgent intervention to increase prices, and ensure that farmers receive their rightful earnings.
Published – September 10, 2025 11:56 pm IST
