OH-NION: Falling onion prices left Khandwa farmers in tears

Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh): Onion farmers in Khandwa and its adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh are left with nothing, but tears as they fail to sell their harvest. With no option left before them, they abandoned the crop in the mandi as traders offered them a meagre Re 1 to Rs 2 per kilo. Some of the farmers are also dumping their crops in nullah (trench) on the outskirts of the town.

The grading of an onion is done on the basis of its size and colour.

"The cost of transporting the crop from the farm to the Mandi is more than this," Kamlesh Patel, a farmer of Pandhana village in Khandwa district.

Kamlesh, who owns a one acre of land, brought around 100 sacks of onion to the mandi waiting for the price to improve. He has decided to dispose of his crop as he cannot wait anymore. He claimed that he spent around Rs 60,000 to get a good harvest, but now he failed to recover transportation costs even.

This year's situation also turned out like last year when farmers were forced to dump tonnes of onion either in the mandi or on the outskirts of the town.

Many of the farmers claimed that the first unseasonal rain and now low price left them to tear. Farmers demanded the government to help them.

Not only farmers, but the onion traders in the town are facing problems. Traders claimed that they bought onions and kept stock in godowns, but onion prices are down these days in other states as well. In the mandis of other states also, onions are being sold for Rs 5 to 7 per kilogram, due to which the traders are also incurring losses and they are helpless.