Weather & then war lead to tears in India’s onion basket

Looking for reduction: Onion growers need an MSP of Rs 3,500/quintal and a Rs 1,500-a-quintal compensation for misery gross sales

Rain clouds rolled over Maharashtra’s onion belt. Then got here war winds from West Asia. Costs collapsed. Crops rotted. Farmers counted losses in rupees — and offered tears by the quintal. Throughout Nashik, Solapur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, onion growers are reaping a bitter harvest this season as wholesale costs at agriculture produce market committees (APMCs) have crashed far beneath manufacturing prices.Prakash Galadhar, a farmer hailing from Paithan taluka in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, hauled 1,262kg of onions he had harvested to market final week. After deductions for labour, loading and transport, his ultimate steadiness confirmed he owed the dealer Re 1.In Satana APMC of Nashik district, farmer Jitendra Solanke introduced 30 quintals hoping to recuperate at the very least a part of his funding. Merchants first supplied Rs 50 a quintal. After he protested, price climbed to Rs 175 a quintal — Rs 1.75 a kg.Nonetheless, numbers refused to add up. “I spent Rs 1,200 per quintal to develop crop. After sale, labour and transport costs, solely Rs 500 remained. The loss mounted to Rs 36,000,” Solanke stated.Inputs have grow to be costly — seeds, fertilisers, diesel, mechanised farming and labour prices have all risen sharply — whereas market costs have sunk into mud.“We promote onions at Rs 4 to Rs 5 per kg whereas manufacturing price is over Rs 12,” stated Bhausaheb Jagtap, a farmer from Pune district. “After paying everyone, nothing is left,” Jagtap stated.Costs have been sliding since Feb this 12 months. At Lasalgaon APMC in Nashik — nation’s largest onion wholesale market and benchmark for nationwide charges — the kitchen staple is at the moment promoting between Rs 400 and Rs 1,600 a quintal. Almost 80% of arrivals fetch lower than Rs 800 a quintal.In Solapur APMC, arrivals on Might 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 12 months in the past, onions offered there for Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 a quintal.Growers stated break-even worth stands close to Rs 18 a kg. “Losses are huge as a result of practically 80% of onions are promoting between Rs 400 and Rs 800 per quintal,” stated Bharat Dighole, president of Maharashtra Onion Growers’ Affiliation.Market consultants blamed an ideal storm: bumper arrivals, weak home demand, export disruptions and rain-damaged produce flooding mandis.“Geopolitical tensions involving Iran, US and Israel disrupted export markets and lowered abroad demand,” stated Vikas Singh, vice chairman of Horticulture Produce Exporters’ Affiliation of India.Unseasonal rain between March 19 and 21 added one other blow to the farmers. Showers lashed Nashik district simply as summer season onion harvest started, damaging prepared crop and triggering rot throughout storage. “Solely 30% of produce was grade-1 high quality,” stated Prakash Jadhav, head of onion division at Solapur APMC. “Rain harm and lengthy storage damage high quality.”Farmers are demanding onions be introduced below minimal help worth, pegging at Rs 3,500 a quintal. Growers’ teams need Maharashtra govt to compensate farmers by Rs 1,500 a quintal for misery gross sales.(Inputs from Prasad Joshi)