Why Maharashtra onion farmers are protesting for over a week
Onion farmers in Maharashtra have been holding a phone protest since September 12, upset over prices dropping to just ₹800-₹1,000 per quintal—far below their production cost of around ₹2,200-₹2,500.
With oversupply and old onions spoiling in storage, they're asking the government for urgent help: a support price of ₹1,500 per quintal to cover their losses.
Farmers demand stable export policy, base price system
The protests are led by farmer groups who say things got tougher after the government released buffer stocks at even lower prices.
On top of that, India's onion exports shrank from 25.25 lakh tons in 2022-23 to just 11.47 lakh tons in 2024-25 as big buyers like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka cut back.
Farmers are urging for a stable export policy and want a guaranteed base price system—like Andhra Pradesh's—to make sure this doesn't happen again.