With onion prices falling sharply, the Karnataka state government plans to bring the crop under the Price Deficiency Payment System (PDPS) to support farmers. The state will soon write to the Union government requesting approval for procurement under the scheme.
According to APMC Minister Shivanand Patil, prices have crashed following crop damage caused by recent rains. "We will write to the Centre, urging it to procure the produce under PDPS," he said. Officials discussed the issue, with some favouring procurement through the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), while others preferred PDPS as a more direct mechanism.
Onion cultivation in Karnataka covers about 205,000 hectares across districts, including Vijayapura, Chitradurga, Vijayanagara, Belagavi, Dharwad, Koppal, and Gadag. The state produces around 2.7 million tons of onions annually. The crop, which was ready for harvest, suffered damage due to untimely rainfall, leading to a sharp decline in bulb quality and market prices.
In Hubballi, farmers staged a protest demanding that the government set a minimum support price (MSP) for onions and begin the procurement of green gram at APMC premises. Led by former zilla panchayat vice president Shivanand Karigar, the protest involved farmers from nearby villages who arrived at the market yard on tractors and dumped onions at the gate.
Karigar said that many farmers had already incurred losses growing crops during the monsoon and that the government had failed to provide compensation or establish procurement centres. "A farmer spends at least Rs 50,000 (US$600) to grow onions on an acre of land. Despite this, the govt is not intervening. It is not establishing a purchase centre. The government is not controlling traders in the market," he said.
He criticised both state and central authorities, stating, "Both central and state governments should open their eyes to the plight of the farmer when they are alive instead of providing compensation when they commit suicide."
Farmers warned that if a support price for onions is not announced within two days, they will block the Hubballi-Dharwad highway, shut down the APMC, and intensify their protests.
Source 1: The Times of India
Source 2: The New Indian Express
