These days the price of onion being available in Maharashtra is in discussion at the national level. Here the minimum price of onion has been reduced from only 50 paise to Re 1 per kg in many mandis. There is anger against the government among the farmers of Maharashtra regarding this. But in a province of his own country, farmers are getting onion rates up to Rs 36 a kg. This is the highest price of onion available to farmers in the country. This price is available in Kothamangalam mandi of Ernakulam district of Kerala. Where on May 24, the average price of onion was Rs 3600 per quintal while the minimum price was up to Rs 3500. The question is that how there is such a difference in the price of the same agricultural product in our own country. What is the reason for this?
Bharat Dighole, founder president of Maharashtra Onion Producer Organization says that there is so much difference in the price of the same agricultural produce in different parts of his own country because the supply chain is not good. Transportation arrangement is not good. This results in loss to both the consumers and the farmers, while middlemen and black marketers are in profit. He says that this is happening for the first time in Maharashtra that despite the purchase of Nafed, onion prices have fallen.
On which day will Kisan Rail work?
Dighole says that Kisan Rail was promoted with a lot of noise. This is actually the work of this train at this time. Onion of farmers of Maharashtra should be sent to Kerala and other states. So that they can get the right price for onions. Traders have storage facilities but farmers do not. Therefore, by buying onions at cheap prices from farmers, traders are storing them. It is being said that production has increased, so the price is low. But the truth is that only after two-three months, the traders will sell them to the consumers at a higher price. In this way farmers are being cheated now and later the consumers will be cheated.
What is the price in which market of Kerala?
- The minimum price at Chelakkara Mandi in Thrissur, Kerala was Rs 3400 per quintal, while the average price was Rs 3500.
- In Kothamangalam, Ernakulam, the minimum rate was Rs 3500, the maximum was 3800 and the average rate was Rs 3600 per quintal.
- In Aralumoodu of Thiruvananthapuram, the minimum price was Rs 2500 while the average rate was Rs 3000 per quintal.
- In Chengannur mandi of Alappuzha, the minimum rate of onion was 2500, maximum 3200 while the average price was Rs 3000 per quintal.
- In Kerala’s Kottayam Mandi, the minimum price of onion was Rs 2400, maximum 2700 and the average price was Rs 2600 per quintal.
- In Punalur Mandi of Kollam, the minimum rate of onion was Rs 2600 per quintal, maximum Rs 3000 while the average price was Rs 2800.
(24 May 2022)
Agriculture expert Binod Anand says that farmers do not have arrangement for onion storage, so what is NABARD doing. What is the state government doing? Why is NAFED buying onions at a price below the cost of production? Had all this worked properly, it would not have happened that farmers would be forced to sell onions at the rate of 50 paise or Re 1 per kg.
