Maharashtra farmers write to CM, Deputy CMs seeking relief for rain-damaged onion crop

Maharashtra farmers demand compensation for rain-damaged onion crops, seek transparency in NAFED operations for fair prices.

Demanding compensation for damaged agricultural produce due to unseasonal rains, the Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers Association (MSOPFA) on Thursday (May 29, 2025) wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.

The farmers said the onion-producing districts in the State had been facing untimely rains since May 6, which had financially broken the spirit of the affected farmers, already reeling under debt, the letter signed by the founding president of the organisation, Bharat Dighole, and Nashik district president of MSOPFA, Jaideep Bhadane, stated.

The major onion producing regions in Maharashtra are Jalgaon, Dhule, Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Pune, Solapur, Beed, Dharashiv, Sangli, Buldhana, Akola, Parbhani, and Jalna.

The farmers also demanded transparency in the operations of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), which operates a network of cooperatives and agencies to procure and sell produce, ensuring fair prices for farmers. NAFED also implements government schemes, including the Price Support Scheme to stabilise the prices of agricultural commodities, benefiting farmers. 

“Since May 6, farmers across the State are witnessing heavy to extremely heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. Maharashtra is the largest producer of onions. While the harvesting of summer (Rabi) season of onions is underway, due to this unseasonal rain, onions on thousands of hectares have rotted in the fields without being harvested. Onions that were harvested are soaked in the fields with rainwater,” the MSOPFA letter stated.

“Due to the incessant rains every day, thousands of tonnes of onions are rotting in the fields, which has led to financial losses of crores of rupees, with farmers already struggling under debt,” Mr. Dighole told The Hindu.

“On behalf of the onion farmers in the State, we are demanding that the State government appoint an independent committee to strictly enforce the implementation of the Central government’s buffer stock of three lakh tonnes of onion purchased from the State through both NAFED and NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India) at a rate of ₹3,000 per quintal. Since the Mahayuti government won in our State with a clear majority, and our government is also in power at the Centre, we humbly request the government to help the farmers with urgent financial assistance, and wipe our tears,” Mr. Dighole said.