Disheartened by the falling price of onion and the government’s ‘inaction’ on the matter, farmers, led by leaders of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), staged a protest here on Thursday by throwing their crop on the road.
About 50 farmers had brought their recently harvested onion crop to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard. However, they were told that their crop was worth only Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 a quintal. Angered, the farmers staged an agitation on the road outside the market.
“I have spent Rs. 40,000 an acre for cultivating onion. There is no problem with the yield as we got 40 quintal per acre. Even if we sold the crop at Rs. 500 a quintal, the maximum price in the market, we will get only half of what we have spent,” one of the farmers said. The farmers said that the price of onion has been almost stagnant since the harvest of the last summer crop. “Onion prices had fallen back then. They have not picked up. The fall in price is mainly due to heavy imports. Our governments are always ready to suffocate domestic farmers to satisfy their imperialist masters,” said Amaranna Gudihal, the State secretary of KRRS.
The farmers also submitted to the APMC authorities two copies of a memorandum, one addressed to the Chief Minister and the other to the Prime Minister.
They have demanded minimum support price of Rs. 3,000 a quintal for A-grade onions, Rs. 2,500 for B-grade onions, and Rs. 2,000 for C-grade onions.
‘Need intervention’“The State’s intervention is required in this time. It should set up onion procurement centres at APMCs in onion-growing areas and buy the crop directly from farmers at a scientific support price,” said Lakshman Gowda Kadagamdoddi, district president of KRRS.
Farmer leaders Doddabadavanagowda Ballatagi, Jayappa Swamy, Narasingarao Kulkarni, Huligeppa Jalibenchi, Veeresh, Mallanna Dinni, Budeppa Swamy and others were present.
