Abhash Anand/Prinsu
Onion farmers staged a protest in Maharashtra’s Nashik district on Tuesday, demanding better prices for their crops. The demonstration, supported by leaders of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), led to a temporary blockade of the busy Mumbai-Agra National Highway in Chandwad town.
The protest, organised under the banner of the ‘Kanda Utpadak Shetkari Kranti Mahamorcha’, began around 10 am and saw participation from nearly 1,500 farmers, according to APMC Chandwad secretary Gangurde Gorakh. Farmers said the current onion prices are too low and demanded that the government provide a fair and acceptable rate for their produce.
During the protest, traffic movement on the highway was disrupted for some time. Police later intervened and forcefully cleared the protest site. Several protesters and opposition leaders were detained by the police. Opposition leaders leading the rally were NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve, and Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal, who joined farmers in a bullock cart rally before being taken into custody.
The reason behind this protest is that the sharp decline in onion prices over the past year has pushed farmers into a deep financial crisis despite consumers benefiting from cheaper rates. Government data show that onion wholesale inflation has remained in negative territory since March 2025, while retail inflation has been negative since May 2025. Wholesale onion prices have dropped by up to 50 percent and retail prices by nearly 55 percent during this period.
To address farmer distress, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced onion procurement at Rs 12.35 per kilogram through NAFED and NCCF. However, farmers and opposition leaders argued that the rate offers little relief. NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar had been demanding procurement at Rs 25 per kilogram and compensation for farmers who sold onions at distress prices.
Gangurde said the strike was dissolved by the local police, after which the mandi resumed normal operations immediately. He also confirmed that the market will continue functioning normally on Wednesday. He further said that farmers are likely to continue their agitation in the coming days and may hold more protests on the Mumbai side if their demands remain unfulfilled.