Maharashtra grants relief for onion farmers

The board will pay them upto 60 per cent of the current mandi price in advance. After the crop is sold, the board will deduct the given amount and pay the remaining money.

8216;8216;Farmers in need of cash make distress sales, and are unable to recover production cost,8217;8217; said Sunil Borade, the board8217;s marketing consultant.

The scheme will be started first in Pune district8217;s Indapur village where the board has opened a 500 metric tonne onion storage facility.

The scheme comes after a 29-year-old farmer committed suicide in Chandwad district and a defiant Manmad farmer sent his meagre Rs 382 earnings to President APJ Abdul Kalam by money order.

The scheme has been running across Vidarbha and Marathwada since 1990 for region-specific crops.

Nagpur, with 21 Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees APMCs, the highest number, has a grant of Rs 295.62 lakh followed by Rs 38.97 lakh for Amravati8217;s 15 APMC. Marathwada8217;s 12 APMCs have a grant of Rs 36.92 lakh. In their latest venture, one APMC in Aurangabad and two in Nashik will be included.