A severe heatwave has triggered widespread spoilage of stored onion stocks across Nashik district, forcing farmers to dump produce worth lakhs of rupees. Already reeling from low market prices, onion growers are now facing a double blow of climate-induced losses and poor returns, deepening distress across Maharashtra’s onion belt.

Farmers who held back produce hoping for better prices are now watching thousands of quintals rot in storage sheds. The mounting losses triggered fresh protests and demands for government relief.