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

Rain clouds rolled implicit Maharashtra’s bulb belt. Then came warfare winds from West Asia. Prices collapsed. Crops rotted. Farmers counted losses successful rupees — and sold tears by the quintal.

Across Nashik, Solapur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, bulb growers are reaping a bitter harvest this play arsenic wholesale prices astatine agriculture nutrient marketplace committees (APMCs) person crashed acold beneath accumulation costs.Prakash Galadhar, a husbandman hailing from Paithan taluka successful Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, hauled 1,262kg of onions helium had harvested to marketplace past week. After deductions for labour, loading and transport, his last equilibrium showed helium owed the trader Re 1.In Satana APMC of Nashik district, husbandman Jitendra Solanke brought 30 quintals hoping to retrieve astatine slightest portion of his investment. Traders archetypal offered Rs 50 a quintal. After helium protested, complaint climbed to Rs 175 a quintal — Rs 1.75 a kg.Still, numbers refused to adhd up. “I spent Rs 1,200 per quintal to turn crop. After sale, labour and transport charges, lone Rs 500 remained. The nonaccomplishment mounted to Rs 36,000,” Solanke said.

Inputs person go costly — seeds, fertilisers, diesel, mechanised farming and labour costs person each risen sharply — portion marketplace prices person sunk into mud.“We merchantability onions astatine Rs 4 to Rs 5 per kg portion accumulation outgo is implicit Rs 12,” said Bhausaheb Jagtap, a husbandman from Pune district. “After paying everybody, thing is left,” Jagtap said.Prices person been sliding since Feb this year. At Lasalgaon APMC successful Nashik — country’s largest bulb wholesale marketplace and benchmark for nationalist rates — the room staple is presently selling betwixt Rs 400 and Rs 1,600 a quintal.

Nearly 80% of arrivals fetch little than Rs 800 a quintal.In Solapur APMC, arrivals connected May 13 touched 14,756 quintals. Prices ranged from Rs 100 to Rs 1,700 a quintal, oregon Rs 1 to Rs 17 a kg. A twelvemonth ago, onions sold determination for Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 a quintal.Growers said break-even terms stands adjacent Rs 18 a kg. “Losses are monolithic due to the fact that astir 80% of onions are selling betwixt Rs 400 and Rs 800 per quintal,” said Bharat Dighole, president of Maharashtra Onion Growers’ Association.Market experts blamed a cleanable storm: bumper arrivals, anemic home demand, export disruptions and rain-damaged nutrient flooding mandis.“Geopolitical tensions involving Iran, US and Israel disrupted export markets and reduced overseas demand,” said Vikas Singh, vice president of Horticulture Produce Exporters’ Association of India.Unseasonal rainfall betwixt March 19 and 21 added different stroke to the farmers. Showers lashed Nashik territory conscionable arsenic summertime bulb harvest began, damaging acceptable harvest and triggering rot during storage. “Only 30% of nutrient was grade-1 quality,” said Prakash Jadhav, caput of bulb section astatine Solapur APMC. “Rain harm and agelong retention wounded quality.”Farmers are demanding onions beryllium brought nether minimum enactment price, pegging astatine Rs 3,500 a quintal. Growers’ groups privation Maharashtra govt to compensate farmers by Rs 1,500 a quintal for distress sales.(Inputs from Prasad Joshi)