Rain in TN, Bengaluru leaves Gadag onion farmers in lurch

GADAG: As the skies have opened up in Bengaluru and Tamil Nadu, onion growers of Gadag district are feeling the pinch.The prices have dropped by Rs 2,000 per quintal due to rain. Farmers usually transport onions to the Yeshwantpur market and many farmers who have already taken their produce to the market at the state capital have suffered huge losses. 

The onion price at the Yeshwantpur market was Rs 4,500 per quintal last week and it dipped to Rs 2,200. Farmers, who have not transported their produce, are also suffering losses as they cannot leave the crop in the field due to rain and there is no proper facility to store harvested onions. 

Farmers said that TN traders usually buy onions from the Yeshwantpur market. Due to rain, the traders have not lifted already purchased commodities, so a lot of stock was left in the market. “The traders in the market are not purchasing from farmers.

Since the supply has increased, the onion price has plunged and is hovering around Rs 2,000 per quintal,” sources said.They said, “We took onion loads to the Yeshwanthpur market on Saturday. We expected Rs 4,000 plus per quintal but when we reached there, prices came down and we got only Rs 1,800-2,200 depending on the quality. Last year, many farmers feared to travel after the first wave hit the country and this year, rain damaged our crops.”

In Gadag retail market, onions were sold at Rs 60 per kg last week but on Monday the price has come down to Rs 30 per kg. “Still, 50 percent of farmers have not harvested the crop and are waiting for stability in the price. But they cannot wait for long as they will lose crops if it rains further,” sources said.