Falling onion prices are worrying farmers even as thousands of quintals continue arriving in various Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) yards in Nashik on Tuesday. Though consumers are presently happy with the rates, prices are likely to rise during summer.
Chandwad APMC chairman Dr Atmaram Kumbharde said that prices have fallen by nearly Rs 100 per quintal. “The current rates are between Rs 900 to Rs 1,100 per quintal while the cost of production is from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,100 per quintal. With this, the farmers are getting less than their cost price,” he said. In Lasalgaon APMC Tuesday’s rates were minimum Rs 600, maximum Rs 1,392 and average Rs 1,050 per quintal. The average arrivals in Lasalgaon and Pimpalgaon Baswant APMC is 18,000 quintals daily while in Chandwad and other places it is about 15,000 quintals.
Farmer Dhananjay Ghorpade said that despite opening up of exports, the prices have not increased and farmers continue to suffer. “Both the
Central and state governments should formulate a comprehensive policy on onion and other agriculture products in which the farmers will get some remunerative price for their crop,” he said.
