With prices falling, farmers demand MSP for shallots

TIRUPUR: Farmers have urged the central and state governments to take steps to fix minimum support price (MSP) to shallots and help them export the bulbs as the market price has fallen steeply.
The farmers placed their request at a grievance redress meeting on Friday. Along with Perambalur, Trichy, Dindigul, Namakkal, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Coimbatore districts, Tirupur constitute more than 80% of the shallot production in the state. This year, the shallot cultivation has covered around 1,000 hectares of agricultural land in Tirupur.

"We bought small onion seeds for 150/kg and 600 would be needed for sowing in an acre. After buying fertilisers and paying labourers, total cultivation cost stands around 1.3 lakh per acre," said T Gopal of Parambikulam Aliyar Project.

Since the market price has gone down steeply, traders were ready to procure small onion for 12-15/kg. It was at least one and a half times lesser than what it was sold three months ago. In many places, no buyer has come for the crop, said the farmers.

Gopal said, "Even if the farmers could store the crop for few months, possibility for the price increase seems to be remote. So, the central and state governments should come forward to fix MSP for the crop and take steps to export them. Without such measures, there will be no chance of increase in the price. MSP will help farmers to meet or at least break even," he said.