Looking for relief: Onion growers prefer an MSP of Rs 3,500/quintal and a Rs 1,500-a-quintal compensation for ruin sales
Rain clouds rolled over Maharashtra’s onion belt. Then came battle winds from West Asia. Costs collapsed. Vegetation rotted. Farmers counted losses in rupees — and acquired tears by the quintal.
All the way through Nashik, Solapur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, onion growers are reaping a bitter harvest this season as wholesale costs at agriculture manufacture market committees (APMCs) get crashed a ways below manufacturing costs.Prakash Galadhar, a farmer hailing from Paithan taluka in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, hauled 1,262kg of onions he had harvested to market closing week. After deductions for labour, loading and transport, his final steadiness confirmed he owed the vendor Re 1.In Satana APMC of Nashik district, farmer Jitendra Solanke brought 30 quintals hoping to win greater a minimal of half of his investment. Traders first equipped Rs 50 a quintal. After he protested, rate climbed to Rs 175 a quintal — Rs 1.75 a kg.Easy, numbers refused to add up. “I spent Rs 1,200 per quintal to grow cut. After sale, labour and transport costs, easiest Rs 500 remained. The loss mounted to Rs 36,000,” Solanke acknowledged.
Inputs get change into pricey — seeds, fertilisers, diesel, mechanised farming and labour costs get all risen sharply — whereas market costs get sunk into mud.“We promote onions at Rs 4 to Rs 5 per kg whereas manufacturing mark is over Rs 12,” acknowledged Bhausaheb Jagtap, a farmer from Pune district. “After paying all americans, nothing is left,” Jagtap acknowledged.Costs were sliding since Feb this 365 days. At Lasalgaon APMC in Nashik — country’s greatest onion wholesale market and benchmark for nationwide charges — the kitchen staple is presently selling between Rs 400 and Rs 1,600 a quintal.
Virtually 80% of arrivals earn lower than Rs 800 a quintal.In Solapur APMC, arrivals on Could well well 13 touched 14,756 quintals. Costs ranged from Rs 100 to Rs 1,700 a quintal, or Rs 1 to Rs 17 a kg. A 365 days previously, onions bought there for Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 a quintal.Growers acknowledged rupture-even mark stands conclude to Rs 18 a kg. “Losses are huge because almost about 80% of onions are selling between Rs 400 and Rs 800 per quintal,” acknowledged Bharat Dighole, president of Maharashtra Onion Growers’ Affiliation.Market experts blamed a excellent storm: bumper arrivals, outdated domestic search data from, export disruptions and rain-damaged manufacture flooding mandis.“Geopolitical tensions appealing Iran, US and Israel disrupted export markets and reduced in a foreign country search data from,” acknowledged Vikas Singh, vp of Horticulture Plan Exporters’ Affiliation of India.Unseasonal rain between March 19 and 21 added yet every other blow to the farmers. Showers lashed Nashik district appropriate form as summer onion harvest started, damaging ready cut and triggering rot at some stage in storage. “Most efficient 30% of manufacture was once grade-1 quality,” acknowledged Prakash Jadhav, head of onion division at Solapur APMC. “Rain injure and long storage ruin quality.”Farmers are demanding onions be brought below minimal toughen mark, pegging at Rs 3,500 a quintal. Growers’ groups prefer Maharashtra govt to compensate farmers by Rs 1,500 a quintal for ruin sales.(Inputs from Prasad Joshi)
