Rains add to onion farmers’ woes

By Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard data confirmed that the amount of onions being delivered at the facility had decreased on account of rain. Moreover, the state’s farmers said they were already been under pressure due to the glut in the market caused by onions from Maharashtra that had driven down prices before heavy rains made things worse.

The data shows that onion procurement in the month peaked on April 11 when 1,23,366 sacks (weighing a quintal each) of the crop were received at the yard. About 43,178 quintals of it came from Pune, accounting for just under 34 per cent of the total goods. The rest though was procured from within the state. The number was drastically down on Tuesday (April 19) at 24,726 sacks of onions being received at the yard. Around 7,418 quintals (30 per cent) of it came from Maharashtra. Commission agents at the APMC yard in Bengaluru said that although the rain was counterproductive, it had resulted in scarcity and could arrest the falling prices of onion.

Glut, showers causing problems: Ryot

Fakkirish, who owns around 10 acres of land in Shirunja village that lies 10 km from Gadag city, said one cannot harvest onions when it rains. “Onions coming in from Maharashtra resulted in an abundance of the crop, which has caused prices to go down. A couple of months ago, we had been selling onions for about Rs 20 to Rs 22 per kilogram at most. After the glut, we were getting as little as Rs 12 per kilogram, failing that we got Rs 10 and even Rs 8 for it on a commission of three per cent.

“The truth is that the quality of onions coming in from Maharashtra is superior. The hotter the climate, the better it is for onions. Heavy rains in Karnataka ruined the quality of onions. One can’t even harvest onions from the earth when it is pouring. This will bring down procurement since less onions will be harvested and sold. Wet onions will go bad too. Dry onions can be stored for three months, four months at most,” he said.

Ravi Shankar, a merchant at the APMC yard confirmed that this was indeed the case, adding that he charged a commission of five per cent from farmers. “When it rains a lot, the onion crop is likely to fail. Also, it becomes difficult to procure the crop under such circumstances,” he said. “Prior to the glut, some two months ago, the retail price of onion was between Rs 20 and Rs 30. Now, it is Rs 15. Rains aren’t helping,” he added.

Syed Ziaullah, an onion vendor at KR Market, said: “What I noticed at the APMC yard is that the bags of onions coming in has decreased. Only recently, some 80,000 to 100,000 sacks used to come in. This is down to some 30,000 bags, which may affect prices.”