In a significant push to address the crisis faced by onion farmers, Maharashtra's Marketing Minister Jaykumar Rawal and Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate have urged the Central Government to procure onions directly from cultivators. The demand was formally presented during a meeting with Union Minister of Food and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi.
The meeting, held in the presence of both state ministers, focused on the distress faced by onion farmers due to extensive crop damage, which has severely impacted their ability to recover even basic production costs.
During the meeting, Rawal and Kokate submitted a series of proposals aimed at stabilizing the onion market and ensuring direct financial support to farmers:
Direct Procurement: A request was made for the procurement of 6 lakh metric tonnes of onions during the 2025-26 fiscal year. The ministers emphasized that the onions should be purchased directly from farmers to eliminate middlemen and ensure fair pricing.
Price-Linked Export Duty: The state delegation proposed that export duties should only be levied when retail onion prices exceed ₹40–45 per kilogram, thereby keeping Indian onions competitively priced in global markets.
Direct Payments via Debit Cards: The ministers advocated for a direct benefit transfer (DBT) system, wherein the procurement payments would be deposited directly into farmers’ accounts using debit cards, ensuring transparency and timely disbursement.
NAFED and NCCF Involvement: It was also proposed that national bodies like NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation) and NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation) should conduct onion procurement through auction mechanisms, further minimizing the role of intermediaries.
The ministers highlighted that these measures, if accepted, would bring much-needed relief to the state’s onion growers, many of whom are struggling due to production losses and low market prices.
The Center has not yet officially responded to the demands, but the delegation remains hopeful for a positive outcome that could set a precedent for farmer-centric procurement policies nationwide.