CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: A farmer from Beed in Maharashtra on Monday claimed he got just 50 paise per kilogram for his onion crop and asserted that low prices of the kitchen staple had put cultivators under tremendous stress.

Bhaskar Shingare, from Beed's Aranwadi area, said he had taken his onion consignment of 602 kilos to the agriculture produce market committee in Solapur on May 22, and he received Rs 301 for it.

"The total cost of production, including labour, transport etc, came up Rs 1382. So, I had to pay Rs 1082 from my own pocket. I had purchased a small tractor earlier and was supposed to pay its EMI with this amount. I have nothing now," he told PTI.

He said farmers have become so helpless due to such low rates that the government must intervene as quickly as possible.