As Opp protests, Shah to hold meetings for Onion farmers in Maharashtra

“Tomorrow we will be attending a meeting convened by the Centre to discuss the issues faced by Onion growers. The state and Centre are sensitive towards their problems,” said Fadnavis.

The onion issue has escalated in the state, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) organised a protest march in Chandwad on Tuesday.

“The Central Government’s inconsistent policy regarding onion exports is significantly impacting onion prices. Farmers are distressed as onion prices have crashed, and the state government has taken no steps to help these farmers,” said state Congress chief Harshavardhan Sapkal.

He warned that the Congress party and the MVA would not sit quietly until onion farmers receive a substantial Minimum Support Price (MSP), and said the government would be forced to act and he demanded an MSP of Rs 3,000 per quintal for onions.

Objections have been raised regarding the irregular onion procurement conducted by NAFED. On May 15, 2026, the Central Government announced it would procure 2 lakh tonnes of onions via NAFED and NCCF at Rs 12.35 per kg (Rs 1,235 per quintal).

The Maharashtra State Onion Growers’ Association has strongly rejected this rate, calling it inadequate to cover basic inputs and demanding a minimum floor price of Rs 30 per kg along with a Rs 1,500 per quintal subsidy for past losses.

Taking the note of ongoing agitation launched by onion growers, the Centre on Monday decided to increase the procurement price set by NAFED for onions from Rs 12.35 to Rs 15.80 per kilo. However, the onion growers have said it was not adequate when the production cost of onions for farmers is Rs 18 to Rs 20 per kilo.

The sugar industry too has run into trouble as the Central Government banned sugar exports. While the Centre raised the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) paid to cane farmers to Rs 365 per quintal for the upcoming season, the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar has remained frozen at Rs 31 per kg since 2019.

However, the sugar industry claims that the average production cost for mills has soared to Rs 41.72 per kg, leading to a widening viability gap.

“If, instead of accepting the demands of onion-producing farmers, the protesters are being arrested, then this is an attempt to strangle democracy,” said NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar, after the arrest of protesters.