Mumbai, May 20 : The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Wednesday accused the Maharashtra government of apathy towards the onion growers who are reeling under financial stress due to a sharp fall in prices.

The party said that, regardless of the season, the onion growers in the state are perpetually left in tears. Sometimes, unseasonable rains and severe hailstorms snatch the harvest right out of their hands, and at other times, even when they manage a bumper harvest, the government's sheer incompetence forces them to sell their produce at throwaway prices or dump it on the streets, it said.

The Thackeray camp in an editorial in the party's mouthpiece, 'Saamana', said that the state's onion farmers find themselves pushed to the brink once again. "While onion production has been excellent, market prices have plummeted relentlessly. The current price offered for onions fails to even cover the basic cost of production, yet the government remains characteristically indifferent. As a result, the crop that farmers cultivated with immense hardship has turned into a loss-making venture," it said.

The editorial referred to the recent announcement of the onion procurement price of Rs 1,235 per quintal made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a programme in Satara in the presence of Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. â??However, leave aside profit, this price does not even cover the cost of production, making this rate nothing but a mockery of the farmers. The government should have determined the procurement price, keeping various factors in mind. Instead, the government has forced a decade-old rate onto the farmers. To add to this, the government has hiked fuel prices for the second time, which will further increase onion transportation costs,â?? claimed the editorial.

"On the international front, the Gulf War has led to a drop in onion exports, causing an oversupply in the domestic market. State agencies, however, lack the capacity to manage and clear such a massive influx of onion stock. These compounding factors have triggered a continuous collapse in onion prices," stated the editorial, highlighting the severity of the crisis.

â??Instead of reining in this downward spiral, the ruling administration has reduced farmers to a state where they are forced to sell their onions for a meagre Re 1 per kilogram. In a poignant protest against this injustice, Sudhakar Sultane, a farmer from Marathwada, mailed a letter, a one-rupee coin, and a single onion to the Chief Minister. Yet, this thick-skinned government remains completely unmoved,â?? remarked the editorial.

The Thackeray camp said that three years ago, while serving as the Deputy Chief Minister, Fadnavis had promised a guaranteed rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal. "Where has that promise vanished today? Why is Fadnavis now stubbornly sticking to a mere Rs 1,235 per quintal? Since there are no immediate elections looming in the state, the ruling politicians evidently feel no urgency to wipe away the tears of these farmers. These are the same rulers who artificially freeze fuel price hikes during Assembly elections in five states purely for political mileage, only to burden the public with heavy losses the moment voting concludes. Expecting such politicians to provide a fair price and compensate the losses of ordinary onion growers is entirely unrealistic,â?? commented the editorial.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena claimed that due to the government's neglect, Maharashtra's onion growers are trapped in a vicious cycle. â??If they store the harvest, it rots; if they sell it, it goes for dirt-cheap prices. Today, the government has brought tears to their eyes and refuses to even bother wiping them away. But the ruling administration must remember one thing: tomorrow, these very onion farmers will undoubtedly bring tears to your eyes,â?? it warned.

/IANS