How West Asia conflict is torpedoing farmers’ lives in Maharashtra

The tremors of the war in West Asia are being felt thousands of miles away in the fields of Nashik Pune Solapur and Baramati To understand the local costs of global conflict look no further than Mumbairsquos Jawaharlal Nehru Port where thousands of containers of onions bananas and grapes are rotting away midday spoke to several farmers to understand the harrowing reality behind the headlinesTrucks of fruit near Jawaharlal Nehru Port2237Percentage of onions exported from state to DubaiGRAPES OF GRIEFGulab Neharkar gazes at his failing grape cropUnfortunate timingFor grape and banana farmers Ramadan is the peak earning season as 80 per cent of Maharashtrarsquos exports go to the Gulf ldquoUsually 250 containers are exported from Pune district at present barely 50 have moved Over 500 containers are stranded at ports across the staterdquo said Gulab Neharkar a veteran farmer and supplier from Pune districtLogistical nightmareShipments meant for Europe can no longer use the Suez Canal Vessels must now circumnavigate Africa doubling the transit time from 25 days to 45 Freight costs have soared from Rs 500000 to nearly Rs 900000 per container By the time the fruit arrives the quality has deterioratedTwo terrible choicesTembhurni in the Solapur district near Baramati is Indiarsquos largest banana export hub for the Gulf countries With West Asiarsquos shipping lines closed farmers are on the brink of ruin ldquoThe bank limits need renewal by Marchend If the expected payments donrsquot arrive we become defaulters Even if the war stops today it will take months for things to normaliserdquo said a banana growerONION FARMERSrsquo TEARSBaban Nanabhau Fand Patil an onion farmer facing a total loss of investmentExistential crisisIn Sarola Advai village Ahilyanagar 40yearold Baban Nanabhau Fand Patil represents the thousands of onion farmers For Baban the conflict in West Asia is not ldquointernational newsrdquomdash it is a direct missile strike on his household economy Patil has grown 50 tonnes of onions on his fiveacre plot ldquoFarmers are drowning in despairrdquo he said About 22 per cent of Maharashtrarsquos onions are exported to Dubai With the Jebel Ali port in Dubai under threat the route is as good as paralysedBANANA GROWERrsquoS WOESKapil Jayaprakash Jachak who is forced to turn his laboriously grown bananas into fertiliser PicsBy Special ArrangementHigh anxietyWhile grapes and pomegranates can be stored for a short duration bananas are highly perishable Kapil Jayaprakash Jachak a banana grower from Baramati told midday he had never seen a crisis of this magnitude mdash not even during the height of the COVID19 pandemic mdash in 25 years of farming ldquoToday we are utterly helplessrdquo said Kapil whose wife two children mother and grandmother are currently living in a state of high anxietyOverripe bananas remain on the trees With no market to send them to farmers are left in a state of agonising indecisionPrice crashBetween September 2025 and January 2026 banana prices hit rock bottom Heavy rain led to pest infestations and ruined the crop quality Just as February brought hope with the arrival of Ramadan and recovering prices the conflict that erupted on February 28 shattered everything in just five days ldquoBananas that were fetching Rs 24000 per tonne have plummeted to Rs 15000 For fruit slightly affected by the cold the rate has dropped from Rs 15000 to Rs 7000 My production cost per plant was Rs 135 and right now I canrsquot even recover that I was expecting an income of Rs 18 million to Rs 2 million over the next two months now an 80 per cent loss is certainrdquo Jachak told middayEXPERTSPEAKNilesh Vira director Agricultural Produce Market Committee and secretary Grain Rice and Oilseed Merchant AssociationlsquoWe export everything from fruits and vegetables to rice and textiles The disruption in Dubai has created a crisis over lsquointransitrsquo cargo ownership Sensitive items like bananas grapes pomegranates and onions will have to be thrown away if they arenrsquot cleared in 48 hours This is a devastating timefor suppliersrsquoSanjay Pansare mango exporter and director APMClsquoDuring Ramadan there is a massive demand for fruits like watermelon grapes and bananas With 100 per cent of air and sea routes affected exporters are under immense pressurersquoJitendra Shah president Federation of Associations of MaharashtralsquoReturning cargo once it reaches the port is nearly impossible and the quality is compromised We are writing to the Union ministers for shipping commerce and external affairs to request duty reversal and fasttrack clearance to minimise the losses for Indian exportersrsquo