No end to woes for white onion growers in Bhavnagar

Rajkot: White onions, mostly grown in Bhavnagar district, continue to be liability for the farmers.
Falling production due to deficient rains, huge carry forward stock of last year and stiff international competition in dehydrated onions is hitting them hard.

For past three years, white onion growers are not getting adequate price for their produce and this year too, the yield is expected very less due to lesser area under cultivation.

The new crop will start coming into the market from the mid-November to March. This year, due to the carry forward stock and tough competition in international market, onion dehydration plants are also not giving the farmers adequate prices.

Mahua Market Yard in Bhavnagar district is the biggest trading centre for white onion after Lasalgaon in Nashik. Nearly 90% white onion grown by farmers in Bhavnagar and some parts of Amreli is exported.

In 2016-17, nearly 60,000 tonnes white onion was produced, which reduced to 45,000 tonnes in 2017-18. This year, the yield is expected to remain between 30,000 to 35,000 tonnes.

Former president of All India Dehydration Vegetables Association, Vitthal Koradia, said, “Last year, farmers got Rs 100 per 20 kg, but this year, the price will be nearly Rs 160 per 20 kg. But still they would be booking losess as the production cost is around Rs 140 per 20 kg. We have last year’s 10,000 tonne stock. Ten dehydration plants have declared bankruptcy because they had purchased huge quantity of stock from farmers in previous years but they didn’t get the expected price in the international market.”

Farmers said that the dehydration unit owners are selling their produce at cheaper rates in the international market to remain in the competition. As a result, they are unwilling to give the farmers adequate price.

There are 100 such plants in Mahua and nearly 50 plants are dysfunctional for the want of orders. India exports 40% of world’s requirement of onion and is the second biggest exporter of onion after America, which sends out 45% of its produce.

According to farmers, their production cost is Rs 140 per 20 kg and since last two years, they are booking losses.

Himmat Patel, a farmer from Talaja, said, “This year, the yield is expected to reduce because area under sowing was much less due to last year’s experience. Moreover, irrigation water is also not available. Farmers can’t afford to book more losses now and government should intervene.”

Farmers who didn’t sow white onions also didn’t sow red onions instead.

D S Royla, secretary of Bhavnagar Marketing Yard said, “This year, production of red onion is expected fall by 25% because of non-availability of irrigation water. However, it’s early to say that it would result in price rise in the retail market because we don’t have proper figures of the crop in other states.”