The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) has urged the State government to intervene in the crisis gripping onion growers in the wake of the crash in prices and purchase the commodity by paying a minimum support price (MSP). KRRS State convenor N. Nanje Gowda sought to caution the government against the possibility of onion farmers resorting to suicide in the light of the rock bottom prices.
Farmers across Gadag, Bagalkot, Haveri, Vijayapura, Chitradurga, Belagavi, Ballari, Davangere, Chikkamagaluru, and Chamarajanagar grow an estimated 29.5 lakh tonnes of onion on 4.1 lakh acres in the State. Pointing out that the production cost of one quintal of onion works out to be Rs. 1,778, Mr. Gowda said the government must fix a MSP of Rs. 2,667 based on the formula provided by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices that envisages fixing of MSP by adding 50 per cent to the cost of production. Farmers are losing almost Rs. 1 lakh on an acre of onion cultivation, he added.
