15 May,2026 11:57 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil. Pic/X
Senior Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Jayant Patil has urged the Maharashtra government to provide immediate financial support to onion farmers facing losses due to falling market prices and rising cultivation costs, reported PTI.
In a letter addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Patil demanded that the state ensure a guaranteed onion price of Rs 2,000 per quintal along with a subsidy of Rs 1,500 per quintal to compensate growers for their financial losses, reported PTI.
He said onion farmers across major producing regions of Maharashtra were under severe economic stress because market prices had dropped sharply below production costs.
According to Jayant Patil, lakhs of farmers in districts such as Nashik, Pune, Solapur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar have been affected by price volatility and uncertainty in agricultural markets, reported PTI.
Patil stated that onion cultivation had become increasingly expensive due to higher input costs, including seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and labour charges.
He argued that despite the rising cost of cultivation, farmers were not receiving remunerative prices for their produce, resulting in mounting financial pressure on rural households, reported PTI.
The former Maharashtra minister said many farmers were struggling to recover even their basic production expenses due to weak market demand and unstable prices.
He urged the state government to intervene immediately to prevent further distress among onion growers.
Patil also called upon the government to direct agencies such as National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) to begin large-scale procurement of onions from farmers, reported PTI.
According to him, government procurement could help stabilise prices and provide immediate relief to growers affected by the ongoing market downturn.
He further sought the introduction of a group subsidy ranging between Rs 500 and Rs 700 per quintal for onion farmers.
In addition, Patil requested that subsidies on chemical fertilisers be directly transferred to farmers' bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system to ensure faster and transparent financial assistance.
In the letter dated May 11, Patil also criticised frequent changes in India's onion export policy, claiming that inconsistent restrictions and policy reversals had negatively affected the reputation of Indian onions in international markets, reported PTI.
He stressed the need for a stable and long-term export policy in coordination with the Central government to help maintain farmer confidence and strengthen India's position in global onion trade.
According to Patil, sudden export bans and policy uncertainty have created instability for traders and growers alike, impacting export opportunities and farmer incomes.
Apart from financial assistance, Patil demanded government support for improving onion storage infrastructure in rural areas.
He urged the state to provide subsidies for setting up modern onion storage facilities as well as traditional ventilated onion sheds commonly used by farmers for preserving produce, reported PTI.
The NCP (SP) leader also called for quality onion seeds to be made available to farmers at concessional rates to reduce cultivation costs and improve productivity.
The demands come at a time when onion prices and agricultural distress remain politically sensitive issues in Maharashtra, one of India's largest onion-producing states.
(With inputs from PTI)
