Maha polls: Volatility in prices of onion, garlic, cotton and soybean dominate campaign rhetoric

Mumbai, Nov 18 (IANS) As the campaign for the Maharashtra Assembly elections concludes today, the skyrocketing prices of onions and garlic, coupled with a significant drop in soybean and cotton prices below the Minimum Support Price (MSP), have become central issues in the electioneering.

While the ruling MahaYuti government is scrambling to address voter dissatisfaction, even stepping in to provide much-needed relief to farmers, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is seizing the moment to hit out at both the state and the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, accusing them of failing to alleviate farmers' distress and adding to the common man's woes.

Maharashtra, one of India's leading onion producers, has seen prices soar beyond Rs 80 per kg, with some areas reporting rates between Rs 80 to Rs 100 per kg in the retail market.

In the case of garlic, prices have surged to Rs 400 per kg. However, in contrast, soybean prices have slumped, forcing farmers to sell at Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,100 per quintal, far below the MSP of Rs 4,892 announced by the central government.

In a bid to contain the damage, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stepped in and directed the state administration to take strict action against traders accused of hoarding onions. The central government's decision to lift the export ban on onions has pleased farmers, but the shortfall in domestic supply has kept prices high for consumers.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar acknowledged that voter dissatisfaction among onion farmers was a key factor behind the poor performance of the MahaYuti in the general elections. He, however, expressed hope that lifting the export ban has somewhat made the onion-growing farmers happy. The Chief Minister has also urged the Centre to increase the procurement centers for cotton and soybean, especially in the wake of a rise in the supply due to an increase in the MSP by the Centre.

Agriculture experts highlight that the supply of summer onions is nearly exhausted, with only about 1,000 quintals currently available to meet the demand in the retail market. Furthermore, unseasonal rains and flooding in major producing regions like Nashik, Pune, and parts of Marathwada have disrupted the Kharif onion crop, exacerbating the supply crunch. Officials, however, expect a gradual increase in supply as the Kharif harvest begins to hit the markets, while the upcoming Rabi onion crop, planted over 4.5 lakh hectares, is expected to stabilize the market later in the season.

The Maka Vikas Aghadi has stepped up attacks against the MahaYuti government for not doing enough to tackle the present scenario blaming it for increasing the hardships of the farmers and the common man. MVA leaders including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Nana Patole have accused the MahaYuti and BJP leaders in particular of raising issues such as 'Batenge To Katenge' (Divided we will perish) and 'Ek Hai to Safe Hai' (United we are safe) slogans to divert the common man’s attention from the core issues.

The falling prices of soybean are another cause of concern among farmers in key districts like Washim, Buldhana, and Akola. Farmers are currently selling their produce at prices well below the MSP -- at Rs 3500 to Rs 4100 per quintal instead of Rs 4,892 per quintal.

In a bid to pacify the soybean farmers, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently announced that the state would provide Rs 6,000 per quintal to soybean farmers. Fadnavis said that the Bahavantar Yojana, on the lines of Madhya Pradesh, will be implemented in the state to supplement the gap between the selling price and the guaranteed price. The difference between the selling price and MSP will be deposited directly into the bank accounts of the farmers. The MahaYuti government had already provided a subsidy of Rs 5,000 per hectare to cotton and soybean farmers earlier, he said.

However, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray promised that the MVA government would pay a price of Rs 7,000 per quintal and asked the farmers to hold the stock instead of disposing it of it at a lower price.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh have also taken the state government to task, accusing it of failing to deliver on procurement promises. According to Ramesh, "Soyabean is trading at about Rs 4,200 per quintal -- far below Fadnavis’ Rs 6,000 claim and below the MSP of Rs 4,892.

‘’Soyabean is grown on an estimated 5 million hectares in Maharashtra. Cotton, another crop whose prices have crashed in recent years and is selling below MSP, is grown on another 4 million hectares. Farmers of both these crops have been left to fend for themselves. The Government has made grand promises to procure 1.3 million tons of soybean but has barely procured 2,000 tonnes so far. Cotton is typically procured on a large scale by the Cotton Corporation of India, but even that has failed to occur this year,’’ Ramesh said.

As Maharashtra heads to the polls, the political battle lines are clearly drawn, with farmer distress and rising prices dominating the campaign narrative.

--IANS

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Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in