Several onion farmers in Maharashtra’s Nashik district climbed atop a water tank at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Lasalgaon on Monday, staging a dramatic protest against the sharp decline in onion prices. They demanded the removal of the minimum export price (MEP) on the essential kitchen staple, which they claim has adversely impacted their earnings.

According to PTI, nearly 15 farmers participated in the protest at Asia’s largest wholesale onion market, expressing their distress over the plummeting prices of both red and summer crop onions. The demonstrators also halted the auctioning of onions at the market, further escalating their agitation.