Thousands of farmers from all over Rajasthan are congregating in the city of Sikar to protest against the crashing onion prices in the state, and the inactivity of the Ashok Gehlot government. “There is no option left but to wake up the government from its lull. We are out on the streets cooking our own food, and sleeping in the open. Nobody is going back until our demands are fulfilled,” said Pema Ram, the Rajasthan state president of the All India Kisan Sabha.
He added, “The cooperative societies are becoming centres of massive corruption. The government has cheated us in the name of loan waivers. There are over 500 farmers waiting for the government to break the silence.”
The state contributes about 6 per cent to India’s onion production. Onion production in Rajasthan in 2017-18 has been estimated to be about 1.28 million tonnes. With about 50,000 onion growers in the region, Sikar district is a hub of onion cultivation in Rajasthan. This year, the production is expected to be about 450,000 to 500,000 tonnes as against state’s total output of 1,280,000 tonnes.
