In a dramatic protest against plummeting onion prices, several farmers in Maharashtra climbed atop a water tank at the Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Nashik district on Monday. The cultivators demanded the immediate removal of the Minimum Export Price (MEP) on onions, citing severe financial losses.
Nearly 15 farmers participated in the agitation, halting auctions in Asia’s largest wholesale onion market. “There is a drop of ₹300-500 in the average prices of both red and summer crop onions. The MEP must be removed, and we will continue to protest until our demands are met,” one of the protesting farmers told PTI.
According to APMC officials, the market received 19,508 quintals of onions on Monday. Prices for red onions fell to ₹1,700 per quintal, while summer crop onions fetched ₹1,800 per quintal—significantly lower than the ₹2,250-2,300 range recorded just five days ago.