MVA to continue agitation till Centre fixes onion procurement at Rs 2,400: Rohit Pawar

Nashik: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Tuesday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would intensify its agitation if Centre does not announce an onion procurement price of Rs 2,400 per quintal for buffer stock through agencies such as NAFED and NCCF.

Addressing farmers during a rasta roko agitation on the Mumbai-Agra highway at Chandwad, Pawar demanded that the Centre increase procurement to 8-10 lakh tonnes, significantly higher than the current target of 2 lakh tonnes, to stabilise prices and support distressed onion growers.

He said the Centre on Monday raised the procurement rate by Rs 3.5 per kg following the May 18 protest at Lasalgaon, but termed the hike inadequate. The procurement price has been increased from Rs 1,235 per quintal (Rs 12.35 per kg) to Rs 1,580 per quintal (Rs 15.80 per kg), which, he said, still falls short of the estimated production cost of around Rs 2,000 per quintal (Rs 20 per kg).

“The agitation will continue and intensify until a remunerative price of Rs 2,400 per quintal is ensured,” Pawar said, adding that onion farmers have suffered heavy losses over the past few months due to falling market rates.

He also alleged irregularities in the procurement process. According to Pawar, onion procurement under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF), carried out through NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd) and NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India), lacks transparency. He claimed that instead of direct purchases from farmers at APMCs, onions are being procured through intermediaries linked to ruling alliance parties.

“We want NAFED and NCCF to procure onions directly from farmers at APMCs. This will create competition and help improve wholesale prices,” he said.

Rohit Pawar further pointed out that unseasonal rain and hailstorms in March had damaged the summer onion crop in Nashik district. “Even after crop losses, farmers are not getting remunerative prices. This is a grave injustice,” he said.

Targeting Mahayuti govt, Rohit Pawar alleged that while farmers are protesting on the streets, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar are preoccupied with MLC poll-related activities.

Farmer leaders also warned of sustained protests if their demands are not met.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) state president, Shashikant Shinde, said that MVA leaders would meet in Mumbai on Wednesday to discuss the onion crisis, inflation and chalk out the next course of agitation.