17 September 2022, Maharashtra: The falling onion prices are a reason for concern for the onion farmers of Maharashtra. In order to support the farmers of the state, the Maharashtra government has requested the Union Food and Public Distribution Minister to buy about 2 lakh tonnes of onion from the state farmers through its agency National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).
The Chief Minister’s office released the above statement requesting center to buy the produce but did not mention anything of the current prevailing prices.
The request letter mentioned about the volatile prices prevailing in the international market which is unable to provide stable income to the onion farmers. The letter also mentioned Sri Lanka as one of the major export destination but due to the financial condition of the country there is reduced demand.
The prices have been as low as 6 rupees per kg in various mandis of the state. This does not even cover the cost of cultivation of onion for the farmers. If the farmers keep bringing the onion to mandis for the next 10-15 days, the prices are expected to go as low as Rs 1-2/kg.
