We Buy Onion For Rs 30/Kg & Farmers Get Only 50 Paise Out Of It, That's Why They Are Protesting

During the recent mass protest in Delhi, by farmers from across the county, a large section of the society, who are unaware of the realities dismissed it as politically motivated and aimed at creating an anti-government sentiment ahead of the election.

The tens of thousands of farmers from across the country had come to the national capital to press for their demands including farm loan waiver, an increase in minimum support price and a special Parliamentary session on farmer distress.

AFP

A common demand from farmers, cutting across regions and irrespective of what they cultivate was better prices for their produce.

The the farmers had alleged that not only they don't make any profit from what they produce, but the very low price they get is pushing them to debt and the only solution in front of them was to end their lives.

AFP

In a pamphlet they distributed during the protests, the farmers had highlighted the huge disparity in what they get and what the customer pays for the same.

For example, for a kilo of tomatoes, farmers receive Rs 5. The same is sold to customers for Rs 30.

BCCL

Farmers get only Rs 10 for selling a kilo of apples to government, which in turn are sold at Rs 110 per kilo to customers.

Milk is procured from farmers at Rs 20 per litre, while the same is sold at Rs 42 per litre to customers.

If that sounds unbelievable, you will be shocked to know the plight of onion and garlic farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

For onion, which sells for an average of Rs. 25-30 per kilo in the market, the farmers are getting anywhere between 50-90 paise per kilo.

BCCL

In Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch Mandi, one of the biggest farmers market in Malwa region, onion was sold for just 50 paise a kg while garlic fetched Rs 2 per kg.

The unbelievably low prices are blamed on a bumper crop this year in the region and there is a flow of around 10,000 bags each of onion and garlic at the Neemuch mandi daily.

BCCL

Disheartened by the low prices a lot of farmers who could afford it, took back their crop saying it is better to feed it to their cattle. Others dumped it on the roads.

BCCL

Many helpless farmers who came to the market from far off places said they won't even get a percentage of what they had invested and that they are staring at a dark future.

Recently, an angry onion farmer in Nashik who had to sell his crop for Rs 1.5 per kg sent his earnings of Rs 1,064 to the Prime Minister¡¯s Office.

BCCL

Another farmer who sold his onions at Rs 51 paise per kg had sent the Rs 216 he received to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

A brinjal farmer, who had invested Rs 2 lakh and putting in all his energy to cultivate the crop destroyed the entire plantation on his land after he had to sell it for 20 paise per kilogram.