For the past several weeks, the Agriculture Market Yard in Kurnool is being flooded with huge quantities of onions, brought in by the farmers from various parts of Kurnool district and neighbouring States.
With nearly 90 vehicles, including tractors and trucks, making their way to the facility every day, the market yard is literally overflowing with onions. Among them, only a few stocks reach the point of sale, resulting in the remaining piling up at the centre. Right from the periphery, one can witness loads of onions, stacked in bags, alongside hopeful farmers awaiting their sale, spending their days at the agriculture market yard.
While it has been difficult to get a remunerative price for the produce, the delay in the sale is leading to the stocks rotting, compounding the woes of farming community.
“The cost per quintal has been varying from a minimum of ₹400 to a maximum of ₹1,200, on October 27 and 28. Though, the pricing seems to paint a rosy picture, several farmers are getting lesser amounts as only high quality onions fetch the maximum price, which is around 5%. The remaining 95% have to adjust with whatever they can get their hands on,” said Katta Chandra Sekhar, Secretary of The Kurnool Commission Mundy Merchants Association.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Sekhar said the current prices would not fetch the farmers anything as they have to pay for transport, workers at both farmlands and market yard, fertilizers etc., in addition to the input cost. “In addition to this, their subsequent stay at the market yard, until their respective stocks are sold, has been burning a hole in their already empty pockets. Unless the State government extends some help by offering minimum support price and other measures, the farmers will not have the courage to approach the next season,” he added.
Safeguarding stock
Meanwhile, the farmers are at the brink of losing hope and have been striving their best to safeguard the stocks from rotting away. Though, the officials have appealed to the farmers to refrain from bringing their produce, the farmers maintain that they do not have the required godowns to store them. They also opined that opening the Yemmigannur and Adoni markets for the sale of onions could reduce the transportation costs and immediate sale of the crop.
On Monday also, they staged a protest at the agriculture market yard demanding that the State government intervene in the issues being faced by them.
