Onion Price Crash Triggers Farmer Distress Across Telangana and Maharashtra

Mumbai/Hyderabad: A sharp decline in onion prices has left farmers in Maharashtra and Telangana reeling under severe distress, turning what should have been a festive season into one of despair. Prices have plunged by nearly 30–40 percent in major markets, forcing many cultivators to watch their harvest rot in the fields due to poor returns.

In Maharashtra — India’s top onion-producing state — growers are calling this year’s Diwali a “black Diwali.” Producers from Nashik, Pune, Ahmednagar, Solapur, and Marathwada allege that the Centre deliberately released its buffer stock into the market just ahead of the festival season, causing prices to collapse. They claim the move was politically motivated, aimed at keeping urban consumers happy at the cost of rural livelihoods.

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Nashik-based farmer leader Bharat Deghul accused the government of “sacrificing farmers to please city voters.” He argued that stocks held by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) should be reserved for times of shortage or inflation, not used as a political tool.

Until recently, onions were selling between ₹1,000 and ₹1,600 per quintal. Now, the same produce fetches barely ₹700–₹1,100 per quintal. While city consumers buy onions for ₹25–₹30 per kilogram, farmers are paid a meagre ₹10 per kilogram — not enough even to cover production costs.

Farmer Jadeep Bhadane from Nashik said frustration is mounting among cultivators. “Farmers will express their anger through the ballot box. It’s time to support leaders who genuinely stand with us,” he said, hinting at the impact this crisis could have on upcoming local elections.

In Telangana, small and marginal farmers face a similar plight. With production costs soaring and prices crashing, many are sinking into debt. At Hyderabad’s Bowanpally Mandi, onions are selling for around ₹14 per kilogram, while in Gadimalkapur, rates have dropped further to ₹11.

Rajoli-based farmer Chantariyola Shekhar said he spent nearly ₹50,000 per acre on cultivation but could not recover even half that amount. “The rains and low prices have ruined us. Leaving the crop in the field is cheaper than harvesting it,” he said.

Unlike several other crops, onions in Telangana do not have a Minimum Support Price (MSP), leaving growers completely dependent on middlemen and market fluctuations. Farmers from Jogulamba Gadwal and Alampur districts have reportedly abandoned fields or sold produce at throwaway prices.

Agricultural unions have urged both state and central governments to intervene urgently. They are demanding market stabilization measures, buffer stock purchases, and a relief package to prevent the situation from worsening. Without timely action, they warn, the ongoing “onion crisis” could escalate into a full-blown agricultural tragedy, deepening rural despair across two major farming states.