The National Congress Party (NCP) MLAs protested in the Mahrashtra Assembly today morning against the steep fall in wholesale prices of onions. The MLAs were spotted wearing garlands made with onions as a form of protest.
Angry farmers stopped the auction of the key kitchen staple on Monday at Maharashtra's Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Asia's biggest onion market. The price per kilogram of onion came down to Rs 2 to Rs 4, which angered the growers.
The Congress hit out at the government over losses incurred by farmers owing to the drop in prices. "In Maharashtra, a farmer went to the mandi and sold 825 kg of onions. Cost of carrying onions to the market: Rs 826 Onion price found: Rs 825 Rs 826 - Rs 825 = Rs 1 Leave the profit, the farmer had to pay Re 1 from his pocket. The promise was to double their income, but this is what the reality is," they said.
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The MLAs reached the assembly with baskets full of onions and demanded remedial measures for farmers.
A representative of the onion growers said the government should immediately declare a grant of Rs 1,500 per quintal of onions and purchase their produce at Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg, or else they will not let the auction resume at the Lasalgaon APMC, located in Nashik district.
As soon as the auction process began as the market opened for the week on Monday, onions fetched a minimum price of Rs 200 per quintal, the maximum rate of Rs 800 per quintal and an average price of Rs 400-450 per quintal.
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However, after assurances by Nashik district guard minister Dada Bhuse to the farmers that a meeting will be held with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in this regard soon, the protest was called off and regular auctions began this morning.
(With inputs from PTI)
