Maharashtra onion farmers are unhappy with the State government’s announcement of ₹200 per quintal ex-great and have demanded the help of ₹500. Opposition parties have supported the farmers’ demand.

The Maharashtra government on today announced ₹150 crore as a relief to onion farmers following series of agitations by farmers in the State after many of them had to sell fresh onions at ₹1 kg in the Nashik wholesale market.

Farmers from Nashik said that the government had made a mockery of farmers and they will continue with the agitation demanding substantial help. Farmers have demanded the help of ₹500.

Changdev Holkar, former director of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (Nafed) said the government’s move will not help to end the crisis. Farmers will not gain anything from this meagre help, he said.

After a farmer from Nashik sent a money order for ₹1,064 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to draw his attention to the crisis being faced by onion farmers, a delegation of farmers from the district had met Modi recently and demanded that the government must provide a grant of ₹500 to onion farmers to meet losses.

Meanwhile, political parties have supported the farmers’ demand. The State Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil who is also leader of the opposition in the Assembly said that the government must provide ex-gratia of ₹10 per kg to farmers.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray visited Nashik and addressed the onion growers. He asked farmers to intensify their agitation and block vehicles of State ministers.

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