How West Asia conflict is torpedoing farmers’ lives in Maharashtra

Farmers have been forced to move their onion produce back home due to the ongoing crisis in West Asia

The tremors of the war in West Asia are being felt thousands of miles away in the fields of Nashik, Pune, Solapur, and Baramati. To understand the local costs of global conflict, look no further than Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port, where thousands of containers of onions, bananas, and grapes are rotting away. mid-day spoke to several farmers to understand the harrowing reality behind the headlines.

Trucks of fruit near Jawaharlal Nehru Port

22%
Percentage of onions exported from state to Dubai

GRAPES OF GRIEF
Gulab Neharkar gazes at his failing grape crop

Unfortunate timing
For grape and banana farmers, Ramadan is the peak earning season as 80 per cent of Maharashtra's exports go to the Gulf. "Usually, 250 containers are exported from Pune district; at present, barely 50 have moved. Over 500 containers are stranded at ports across the state," said Gulab Neharkar, a veteran farmer and supplier from Pune district.

Logistical nightmare
Shipments meant for Europe can no longer use the Suez Canal. Vessels must now circumnavigate Africa, doubling the transit time from 25 days to 45. Freight costs have soared from Rs 500,000 to nearly Rs 9,00,000 per container. By the time the fruit arrives, the quality has deteriorated.

Two terrible choices
Tembhurni in the Solapur district, near Baramati, is India's largest banana export hub for the Gulf countries. With West Asia's shipping lines closed, farmers are on the brink of ruin. "The bank limits need renewal by March-end. If the expected payments don't arrive, we become defaulters. Even if the war stops today, it will take months for things to normalise," said a banana grower.

ONION FARMERS' TEARS
Baban Nanabhau Fand Patil, an onion farmer facing a total loss of investment

Existential crisis
In Sarola Advai village, Ahilyanagar, 40-year-old Baban Nanabhau Fand Patil represents the thousands of onion farmers. For Baban, the conflict in West Asia is not "international news" - it is a direct missile strike on his household economy. Patil has grown 50 tonnes of onions on his five-acre plot. "Farmers are drowning in despair," he said. About 22 per cent of Maharashtra's onions are exported to Dubai. With the Jebel Ali port in Dubai under threat, the route is as good as paralysed.

BANANA GROWER'S WOES
Kapil Jayaprakash Jachak, who is forced to turn his laboriously grown bananas into fertiliser. Pics/By Special Arrangement

High anxiety
While grapes and pomegranates can be stored for a short duration, bananas are highly perishable. Kapil Jayaprakash Jachak, a banana grower from Baramati, told mid-day he had never seen a crisis of this magnitude - not even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic - in 25 years of farming. "Today, we are utterly helpless," said Kapil, whose wife, two children, mother, and grandmother are currently living in a state of high anxiety.

Overripe bananas remain on the trees. With no market to send them to, farmers are left in a state of agonising indecision

Price crash
Between September 2025 and January 2026, banana prices hit rock bottom. Heavy rain led to pest infestations and ruined the crop quality. Just as February brought hope with the arrival of Ramadan and recovering prices, the conflict that erupted on February 28 shattered everything in just five days. "Bananas that were fetching Rs 24,000 per tonne have plummeted to Rs 15,000. For fruit slightly affected by the cold, the rate has dropped from Rs 15,000 to Rs 7000. My production cost per plant was Rs 135, and right now, I can't even recover that. I was expecting an income of Rs 1.8 million to Rs 2 million over the next two months; now, an 80 per cent loss is certain," Jachak told mid-day.

EXPERTSPEAK

Nilesh Vira, director, Agricultural Produce Market Committee and secretary, Grain Rice and Oilseed Merchant Association
‘We export everything from fruits and vegetables to rice and textiles. The disruption in Dubai has created a crisis over ‘in-transit' cargo ownership. Sensitive items like bananas, grapes, pomegranates, and onions will have to be thrown away if they aren't cleared in 48 hours. This is a devastating time
for suppliers'

Sanjay Pansare, mango exporter and director, APMC
‘During Ramadan, there is a massive demand for fruits like watermelon, grapes, and bananas. With 100 per cent of air and sea routes affected, exporters are under immense pressure'

Jitendra Shah, president, Federation of Associations of Maharashtra
‘Returning cargo once it reaches the port is nearly impossible, and the quality is compromised. We are writing to the Union ministers for shipping, commerce, and external affairs to request duty reversal and fast-track clearance to minimise the losses for Indian exporters'