A farmer sits on a tractor trolley after auctioning his onions at Lasalgaon market in Nashik in Maharashtra.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
Onion auctions at the Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Maharashtra’s Nashik district resumed on Tuesday (March 11, 2025), a day after farmers staged a dramatic protest by climbing atop a water tank and temporarily halting the process. The farmers were demanding the removal of the 20% export duty on onions, which they claim has led to a sharp decline in prices at Asia’s largest wholesale onion market.
On Monday (March 10, 2025), as many as 15 farmers climbed a water tank to protest the falling prices of onions, which have dropped by ₹300-500 per quintal in recent days. The protesters argued that the export duty has severely impacted their earnings, forcing them to sell their produce at significantly lower rates.
According to officials, 11,500 quintals of onions were brought to the market for auction on Monday. The prices for the summer crop of onions ranged from ₹1,000 (minimum) to ₹2,201 (maximum) per quintal, with an average price of ₹1,800. For red onions, the prices were ₹800 (minimum), ₹2,005 (maximum), and ₹1,700 (average) per quintal. These figures marked a notable decline from ₹2,250-2,300 per quintal just five days ago, prompting the farmers’ agitation.
The protest was called off after state Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate assured the farmers that Yeola MLA and former minister Chhagan Bhujbal would raise the issue in the ongoing budget session of the legislature. Police were also deployed to pacify the protesters and maintain order.
On Tuesday, normalcy returned to the APMC as auctions resumed. Nearly 13,000 quintals of onions arrived in 500 vehicles for the day’s auction. The summer crop of onions saw prices ranging from ₹600 (minimum) to ₹1,951 (maximum) per quintal, with an average of ₹1,600. The auction for red onions was yet to begin at the time of reporting.
Published – March 12, 2025 05:17 pm IST