COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s price forecasting scheme has predicted that prices of small onions would be around Rs 50 per kg at the farmgate in the next few months and will further increase till March 2021, when the new harvest commences.
They attribute the high prices to the damage of small onion crops across the state due to pests, diseases and incessant rain. They recommend the farmers to take a decision to protect their crop and harvest accordingly.
Small onions are usually cultivated four times a year across districts such as Perambalur, Trichy, Dindigul, Tirupur and Namakkal.
“This year Purattasi and Karthigai pattam crop are severely affected by pest and diseases. Markets now receive poor quality shallots with reduced marketable surplus from the farmers,” said the statement from the university’s centre for agricultural and rural development studies.
“As per the trade sources, roughly 9000 ha of crop area is affected by this pest-disease complex,” mentioned the statement.
They advised farmers to take up necessary preventative measures to save the crop in the coming months. The predicted farmgate price of Rs. 50 is arrived based on 10 years historical prices prevailing in Dindigul vegetable market.