Onion farmers in combat mode

Enraged onion farmers blocked traffic on Satana Road in Nashik on Monday and held demonstrations as prices of the commodity crashed to as low as Rs 15 per quintal.

The farmers also threw onions on the road adjacent to Satana Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) as a mark of protest during their agitation on Sunday, police said.

APMC sources said it has asked farmers not to bring onions at the market for auction as onion prices have declined drastically all over Maharashtra, but many growers still brought their products in bullock carts and tractors. Onion prices crashed to Rs 15 per quintal from Rs 200 per quintal a month back, market sources said.

The farmers were demanding an assured price of Rs 500 per quintal from the government. Opposition parties like the BJP and Shiv Sena have already launched agitation against the state government on the onion price crash.

Enraged farmers had also hurled onions at Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar when he was addressing a farmers' rally at Vithewadi in Devla Taluka of the district on April 2.