Nashik, Aug 3 (PTI) Amid a steep fall in prices, the Maharashtra State Onion Growers Association has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to convene a special meeting urgently at Lasalgaon Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), the largest market for the crop in Asia, to find immediate and long-term solutions.
A delegation from the association had recently submitted a written request to the chairman and secretary of Lasalgaon APMC, urging them to extend a formal invitation to the chief minister for such a meeting.
The association also sent an official email to Fadnavis reiterating the demand.
The letter, signed by Maharashtra State Onion Growers Association founder-president Bharat Dighole and Nashik district president Jaydeep Bhadane, highlights the acute financial distress faced by farmers due to plummeting prices.
According to the association, onion farmers across Maharashtra are currently getting only Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 per quintal, while the average production cost is at least Rs 2,500 per quintal.
This discrepancy is causing significant daily losses to growers, it added.
“Given the urgency of the situation, we request you (CM) to personally hold a special meeting at the Lasalgaon APMC to discuss immediate and long-term measures with both the Central and state governments,” the letter stated.
The association expressed confidence that CM Fadnavis would take proactive steps to protect the interests of onion farmers and address the crisis at the earliest.
All eyes are now on the chief minister’s response, as discontent simmers in key onion-producing regions like Nashik over the continued neglect of the plight of farmers, Dighole said.
“Maharashtra is the largest onion-producing state in the country, and lakhs of farmers produce the crop. We will welcome the CM if he comes to Lasalgaon to address our grievances at the earliest,” Dighole said.
The condition of farmers is not good due to low prices and a shortage of storage facilities, which is damaging the harvested crop, he said.
“It is the government’s responsibility to take note of our problems. No CM has come to Lasalgaon, the largest APMC for onions in Asia. If Fadnavis agrees to our demand, he would create history,” Dighole claimed. PTI MR BNM ARU
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