Slash in Onion price cause worry to growers, resort to protest
08 October, Hubball
The continuing downfall in the prices ofOnion in North Karnataka has become a cause of worry to the growersand has once again resorted to protest.
Farmer Mailarappa Vaidya of Navalagund taluk attempted to commitsuicide by hanging himself in public yesterday demanding immediatedeclaration of support price and opening of purchase center in thedistrict to rescue the desperate farmers. The police preventedthe farmer.
Similarly five farmers including a woman farmer attempted tocommit suicide in front of Revenue office by consuming pesticide.However the people around and the police foiled all these attempts.The police snatched the pesticide bottles from the protesters.
They alleged that the farmers are not getting even Rs 300 perquintal. In APMC market it has been much less. Thus even they arenot able to gather the cost of production leave alone profit.
Mailarappa said that he has taken loan from the bank to growonion with the hope that he would be able to earn his both ends. Similarly the other farmers also said that unless the Governmentcome to their rescue by opening purchase centers and declare supportprice they would not be able to sustain their life.
The farmers also alleged that they are not able to get horse gramseeds for their cultivation and the Government has not made anyeffective arrangements for distribution. They said that the talukahas got mere 380 quintals of seeds this season.
Soon the Tahasildar of Navalagund contacted the local legislatorN H Konaraddy and also Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda whowas on a Dharwad district visit and got assurances from them. He alsomanaged to console the agitated farmers.
MLA Konaraddy assured that he would try his best to come to asolution and provide some kind of help to them.
The Minister assured the farmers that the Government has decidedto sanction compensation of the loss of onion produce and credit theamount to the farmers’ account.
Speaking to the newsmen after inaugurating cold storage andGodown in APMC campus, he said that the cabinet subcommittee hasalready discussed this issue and the cabinet will take decision onthe recommendations of the committee soon.
He said that the decision to export onion to Bangladesh has beenhampered due to Navaratri festival and the problem will also besolved soon.