Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on December 11 joined a protest by onion farmers in Nashik district, castigating the BJP-led Centre’s “anti-farmer” policies even as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Centre was ready to purchase unsold onion stocks from farmers if the need arose.
The octogenarian Mr. Pawar, a figurehead of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Opposition against CM Eknath Shinde’s tripartite government, joined protesting farmers who earlier staged a rasta roko (road blockade) on the Mumbai-Agra National Highway against the Centre’s decision to ban onion exports till March 31, 2024.
Addressing onion growers in Nashik’s Chandwad village, Mr. Pawar accused the Narendra Modi-led Central government of “ignoring the hard work of farmers” while stressing the need for cultivators to be united in demanding their rights.
“We are not interested in blocking traffic and inconveniencing people but were forced to come out on the streets and stage a rasta roko so that the government would wake up. This agitation is not only for Chandwad but for farmers all over Maharashtra and the whole country. The ban on onion exports should be lifted immediately. I will go to New Delhi tomorrow [on Tuesday] and raise the issue with the concerned authorities as well as in the ongoing Parliament session. The State and the Central government have a responsibility to help farmers,” said the NCP chief, who was Union Agriculture Minister in the erstwhile Congress-led UPA governments.
Mr. Pawar observed that farmers were already reeling under the onslaught of unseasonal rains and hailstorms and had suffered massive crop damage.
“Onion and grape growers are already facing problems. The ban on export of onions will only aggravate their troubles,” he said, adding that during his tenure as Union Agriculture Minister, he never brought down the onion prices nor banned exports.
Lashing out against the Centre’s policies, he said those who decide on them did not care for farmers.
“Changing policies time and again is not good. The country, onion farmers as well as traders have to pay the price for it… Farmers should get justice and their voice should reach the government. A price should be fixed for purchase of onions by government,” Mr. Pawar said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fadnavis, speaking in the Legislative Council during the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature, said that he had already taken up the matter with Piyush Goyal who had assured him that the Centre was ready to buy onions from farmers if the need arose.
He was replying to a query raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Ambadas Danve of the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, who sought to know the measures being taken by the State government in view of the onion export ban.
Mr. Fadnavis met with Mr. Goyal in Mumbai on December 9 regarding the onion issue. Replying to Mr. Danve, the Deputy CM said he had told Mr. Goyal that farmers should not suffer losses.
“Generally, the export of onions is allowed when there is a bumper production. However, the onion production dipped by 25-30% this time. In such a scenario, allowing exports may lead to a shortage of the crop,” he said.
“Goyalji assured me that until a further decision is taken and if onions remain unsold, the Central government is ready to buy the crop from farmers and it will announce the price for the same,” he said, adding that Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde would be meeting Mr. Goyal again on the matter.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, too, said he would be meeting Mr. Goyal in Delhi soon to discuss the onion crisis.
