Maharashtra farmers mull ending onion cultivation
Farmers in Maharashtra are protesting against the Union government’s recent decision to halt onion exports until March, but remain unsure whether their sustained plea against restrictions on onion trade will be heeded.
However, many of them are certain about one thing — they intend to discontinue onion cultivation and shift to other crops. Maharashtra contributes approximately 43 per cent of India’s onion production, and a shift by its farmers to alternative crops would profoundly impact the availability of the bulb.
India consumes about 13 lakh tonnes of onions every month, making it one of the most important household vegetable.
Maharashtra State Onion Producer Farmer Organisation President Bharat Dighole said the government is making onion cultivation unviable for farmers. “Farmers have suffered heavily because of the Government’s fluctuating policies and are not ready to shoulder anymore burden,” he said.
Agitating farmers in Maharashtra said many of them have already moved to other crops and the Government’s decision would force many more to do the same.
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Monsoon vagaries
In addition to government policies, monsoon vagaries too are forcing farmers to move away from onion. A report by CRISIL said weather fluctuations affect crop yield. Erratic rains have damaged the kharif onion crop over the past three years, leading to lower yield and higher prices.
Approximately 70 per cent of the annual onion supply comes from the rabi crop, which is harvested between March and May, with the rest coming from kharif and late-kharif crops, harvested between October and March. During t June to September, there is no onion harvesting, and stored rabi onions are released for consumption, resulting in price hikes.
Expressing concern, Vishnu Patil, a farmer, said, “The moment prices rise, providing an opportunity for farmers to recover losses, the government imposes restrictions and export bans. While the government takes care of consumers, who will look after the farmers?”
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Government’s stand
“I understand the concern, but if there are crop shortages and if there are difficulties of getting something as essential as onion to the market, we will have to ensure that Indian consumers get the priority and, therefore, sometimes we need to come up with these measures,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha recently.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the State legislature that the Union government will procure onion from farmers and ensure that farmers don’t face any losses.