Onion growers demand MSP as climate and market turmoil deepens
Farm workers sort onions near an agricultural field
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Nashik, India’s onion capital, home to Asia’s largest onion market, has been on a turbulent ride for the past three years. Erratic weather, inconsistent export policies, and unpredictable price swings have turned onion farming into a gamble, forcing growers to unite and demand a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the bulb crop.
“The sowing and harvesting cycles have gone haywire due to erratic weather. Export links are damaged because of inconsistent policies, and market rates fluctuate so wildly that both traders and farmers are now wary of growing or trading onions. The situation will worsen if the government doesn’t pay attention to the deepening onion crisis,” said Bharat Dighole, President of the Maharashtra State Onion Producer Farmers’ Organisation.
The organisation has urged the government to immediately announce an MSP for onions to safeguard farmers from volatile markets and mounting losses.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the inclusion of crops under the MSP framework depends on several factors, including long shelf life, wide cultivation, mass consumption, and importance for food security. The Ministry also clarified that under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the onion crop can be notified for insurance coverage against natural calamities by the concerned state government. This clarification came in response to questions raised by Members of Parliament from Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha.
Cycle and Cost
Onions in Maharashtra are cultivated in three main seasons — rabi, kharif, and late kharif. The rabi crop, sown in October–November and harvested in March–May, accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the total production, while kharif and late kharif crops, sown between May and September, together contribute about 30 per cent. The kharif onion plays a crucial role in maintaining price stability during the lean months between rabi and peak kharif arrivals.
“We no longer know what price we will get for our produce or if we’ll even recover production costs. The MSP will at least assure some kind of relief,” said B. K. Patil, a farmer from Ahmednagar. He added that onion is among the most climate-sensitive crops — when weather conditions are favourable, yields soar, flooding the market and pushing prices down. But a single spell of frost, unseasonal rain, or extreme heat can destroy entire fields, causing supply shortages and sharp price spikes.
Drop in Cultivation
Members of Parliament from Maharashtra have also warned that farmers in Nashik, Pune, and Dindori districts — the state’s largest onion-producing regions — are facing severe financial stress. Many have reduced their cultivation area from one and a half acres to just half an acre due to unremunerative prices.
“It’s true that farmers are gradually moving away from onion cultivation. The numbers may still be small, but the trend has started,” said Rahul Patil, another farmer from Nashik. “Young farmers are now turning to less risky crops instead.”
For the farmers of Maharashtra, the demand for an MSP is not merely about better returns — it is about survival in an increasingly uncertain climate and market environment.
Published on November 11, 2025
