Nashik: Several onion farmers, led by opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, on Tuesday staged a protest against the government's procurement prices, blocking the busy Mumbai-Agra National Highway in Nashik district.
Police intervened and detained protesters after the 'Kanda Utpadak Shetkari Kranti Mahamorcha' disrupted traffic in Chandwad town, where some agitators reportedly attempted to deflate the tyres of vehicles stranded on the highway.
Opposition leader, including NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve, and Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal, led the rally on a bullock cart before being detained by the police.
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During the agitation, Pawar said, "The government has declared a Rs 1,580 per quintal price for onions. Farmers are unhappy with this. They should get Rs 24 per kg price for onions. The government is afraid of our agitation. The CM, deputy CM and other ministers will go to Delhi on Wednesday. We will have to wait and see what happens."
Interestingly, Melody toffees were distributed to agitating farmers during the protest.
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"Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently gifted Melody toffees to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. As a result, the shares of Parle Industries rose. He should gift onions so that their prices also soar," the agitators said.
Onion cultivators have demanded a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 3,000 for the bulb, Rs 1,500 per quintal subsidy for produce which has been sold, rollback of the export ban, and a detailed and impartial inquiry into the corruption in the onion procurement by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).
