Jayant Patil urges Maharashtra govt to guarantee Rs 2,000 per quintal for onions

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 PTIIn a letter addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Patil demanded that the state ensure a guaranteed onion price of Rs 2000 per quintal along with a subsidy of Rs 1500 per quintal to compensate growers for their financial losses reported PTIHe said onion farmers across major producing regions of Maharashtra were under severe economic stress because market prices had dropped sharply below production costsAccording 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 PTIRising production costs worsening farmersrsquo difficultiesPatil stated that onion cultivation had become increasingly expensive due to higher input costs including seeds fertilisers pesticides and labour chargesHe 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 PTIThe former Maharashtra minister said many farmers were struggling to recover even their basic production expenses due to weak market demand and unstable pricesHe urged the state government to intervene immediately to prevent further distress among onion growersDemand for largescale onion procurement through NAFEDPatil also called upon the government to direct agencies such as National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India NAFED to begin largescale procurement of onions from farmers reported PTIAccording to him government procurement could help stabilise prices and provide immediate relief to growers affected by the ongoing market downturnHe further sought the introduction of a group subsidy ranging between Rs 500 and Rs 700 per quintal for onion farmersIn addition Patil requested that subsidies on chemical fertilisers be directly transferred to farmersrsquo bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer DBT system to ensure faster and transparent financial assistanceExport policy uncertainty blamed for affecting onion tradeIn the letter dated May 11 Patil also criticised frequent changes in Indiarsquos onion export policy claiming that inconsistent restrictions and policy reversals had negatively affected the reputation of Indian onions in international markets reported PTIHe stressed the need for a stable and longterm export policy in coordination with the Central government to help maintain farmer confidence and strengthen Indiarsquos position in global onion tradeAccording to Patil sudden export bans and policy uncertainty have created instability for traders and growers alike impacting export opportunities and farmer incomesCall for storage infrastructure and subsidised seedsApart from financial assistance Patil demanded government support for improving onion storage infrastructure in rural areasHe 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 PTIThe NCP SP leader also called for quality onion seeds to be made available to farmers at concessional rates to reduce cultivation costs and improve productivityThe demands come at a time when onion prices and agricultural distress remain politically sensitive issues in Maharashtra one of Indiarsquos largest onionproducing statesWith inputs from PTI