Kurnool Farmers Hit Due To Long Shelf-Life Maharashtra Onions
Traders point out that Maharashtra onions have low water content and can be stored for longer. But onions grown locally have high water content and cannot last more than 10 days. This has led to reluctance among buyers to lift the local produce.
KURNOOL: Onions from Maharashtra, which have a long shelf life, are giving sleepless nights to farmers in Kurnool district. Those onions can reportedly be stored for six to seven months, while local onions get spoilt within a week. Because of this, shopkeepers, hotel owners and even buyers are showing interest in Maharashtra onions, leaving Kurnool onions without demand.
Last year, onions grown in Kurnool district fetched between ₹4,000 and ₹5,000 per quintal. Currently, their prices have collapsed to below ₹1,000 per quintal. In the open market, local onions are selling at just ₹10–15 per kg. Traders are buying Maharashtra onions at ₹1,900 per quintal and selling them for ₹20–25 per kg.
Thousands of tons of onions have piled up in Kurnool markets. Both farmers and traders are facing difficulties as stocks keep accumulating. Farmers say even though Markfed has announced a procurement price of ₹1,200 per quintal, there is no clarity on when or how the purchases will actually be done.
Traders point out that Maharashtra onions have low water content and can be stored for longer. But onions grown locally have high water content and cannot last more than 10 days. This has led to reluctance among buyers to lift the local produce.
According to traders, onions from Maharashtra have been coming into the district in huge quantities since February. Initially, about 20 trucks arrived every week. But from April to August, the number doubled to nearly 40 per week. In the last seven months, more than 1,000–1,200 trucks carrying nearly 30,000–35,000 tonnes of onions have entered the district. This continuous inflow has completely destabilised the local market.
Farmers argue that they will get some relief only if Maharashtra onions are restricted from entering the district. Further, they say the government should ensure that wholesalers, hotels and small traders buy local onions, so that farmers get a fair price.
Unable to bear losses, some farmers are abandoning their crops in the fields. In Polekal village of C. Belagal mandal, one farmer destroyed his ready-to-harvest onion crop with a tractor, a sign of deep trouble faced by growers. Farmers warn that unless strong measures are taken immediately, onion cultivation in Kurnool may face a serious setback.
Meanwhile, Tomato farmers in Kurnool are also facing a crisis due to prices plummeting in the local markets. In Kurnool and Nandyal markets, including Pathikonda and Peapully, tomatoes are selling for just ₹4–5 per kilogramme. Unable to even cover transportation costs, many farmers are reportedly leaving their tomatoes to rot in the fields.
