People living in the city have to buy onions at a high price. But the farmers who grow the crop are not getting proper benefit. The net profit of selling five quintals of onion is two and a half rupees. The condition of onion farmers in Maharashtra has become dire.
First Published Feb 25, 2023, 6:24 AM IST
The condition of farmers in the country has become more miserable. If you buy it, it becomes like a forest. Endanaka.. Vananaka Arugalam has worked hard to grow a quality crop.. It is a situation where even the investments made cannot be obtained due to the lack of proper remunerative price. A farmer planted onions with many hopes…just at the time of harvest, the prices fell. What’s more, at least investments are not coming. The farmer who sold more than five quintals of onion received two rupees after paying all the expenses. Every onion farmer in Maharashtra is facing this dire situation.
If we go into the details… a farmer named Rajendra Chavan (58) of Boragaon village of Solapur district cultivated onion. The onion grown in his farm was taken to Sholapur market on February 17. However.. Onion prices have fallen very badly. What’s worse is that the traders said that they will buy onions for just Rs.1 per kilo. Farmers who came with many hopes faced an unexpected development. Not knowing what to do, he burst into tears. The crop brought to the market was not taken back home. I don’t want to sell at that price. In the end, the farmer sold all the 512 kg of onion he brought for just Rs.512.
The farmer, who thought that he would get at least 500, was disappointed. To bring the crop from the farm to the market, the transport charges, the cost of labor and the market fee all together came to Rs.509.51. That means.. that farmer is left with Rs. 2.49. The officials of the market committee who rounded it up also put a check of Rs.2 in the hand of the farmer. Moreover, it is noteworthy that the check has also been given an advance date to be deposited in the bank after 15 days.
The farmer who cultivated onions like this was left with tears in the end. The investment costs for the crop are increasing.. Farmers are suffering from debts because they do not get the minimum support price for the crop that has grown after enduring all the hardships. Unable to pay those debts, they are ending their lives.
Farmer Rajendra Chavan said..”Onion bulbs cost one rupee. Investment expenditure has doubled in the last three to four years. “I spent about Rs. 40,000 to grow half a ton of onion,” said the farmer in tears. Farmer leader and former MP Rajushetti said that the onion coming to the market now is a kharif crop. It cannot be stored for long. This onion should be immediately sold in the market and exported. But, with the arrival, onion prices in the market fell.
