Onion Output May Fall in Kurnool As Farmers Shun Crop
The normal cultivated area of onions is 20,800 hectares. But only about 4,300 hectares have been planted so far.
Kurnool: Farmers in the undivided Kurnool district are shifting away from cultivation of onion during the current Kharif season. It has been over a month since the onion cultivation season began. Against the cultivated area of 20,800 hectares during Kharif, only about 4,300 hectares have been planted so far, when the area cultivated should have been more than 10,000 hectares by now.
Kurnool Agricultural Market is considered one of the largest onion markets in Andhra Pradesh. It typically receives 4–5 lakh quintals of onions annually. Last year, the market received a record 6.50 lakh quintals of production. The price per quintal touched over ₹5,000 at its peak, with the average price ranging between ₹2,500 to ₹3,000 per quintal.
Kurnool Agricultural Market collected around ₹1.80 crore in cess. However, due to reduced crop area and supply, market officials estimate that the cess may fall drastically this year.
The erstwhile Kurnool region, especially Kurnool and Nandyal districts, is known for its black soil, which is ideal for onion cultivation. In the previous Kharif season, onions had been cultivated over 69,000 acres across AP, with Kurnool contributing to 43,200 acres and Nandyal 9,000 acres.
However, adverse weather conditions in certain areas, such as insufficient or excessive rainfall, led to poor yields. Moreover, prices have been unstable over the last few seasons. Many farmers have thus turned away from onions.
This is despite onion seeds being provided at subsidised rates through the National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation at the Kurnool market yard.
Witnessing the trend during Kharif, state government is now attempting to promote Rabi onion cultivation by offering subsidies of up to ₹20,000 per hectare towards seeds, fertilisers and pesticides
A senior official from the marketing department observed that absence of a support price and recurring losses have affected onion farmers. The official feels farmers may again take up onion cultivation in case the government steps in and provides the necessary support.
