Jaipur: With onion prices plummeting by nearly 50% in September — the sharpest decline since Feb 2019 — distressed farmers in Rajasthan have petitioned the govt for urgent intervention to help them tide over the agrarian distress. Government estimates place the production cost of onions between Rs 8 to Rs 10 per kilo, but farmers argue that the actual cost is closer to Rs 18 to Rs 20 per kg. Despite this, they are being forced to sell their produce at a meager Rs 5 per kg in Khairthal mandi, exacerbating their financial woes.Kisan Mahapanchayat has called for the implementation of the govt’s ‘Market Intervention Scheme’ to shield producers from such abrupt financial setbacks and warned of a statewide agitation if the state fails to address the issue promptly.President, Kisan Mahapanchayat, Rampal Jat, criticised govt policies, including import-export decisions, for contributing to the price drop and laid emphasis on the need for a robust intervention scheme to protect crops without a declared ‘Minimum Support Price’. He added that farmers are forced to sell crops below MSP due to inadequate govt procurement arrangements.Despite a meeting on Oct 3 between the state govt and Kisan Mahapanchayat representatives, no substantial action has been taken to address farmers’ grievances. In response, Kisan Mahapanchayat plans to organise a protest at Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur and at district headquarters on Nov 17 to voice growing discontent among farmers.
