Pune farmer receives only Rs 664 for 7.5 quintals of rain-damaged onions | India News
PUNE: Sudam Ingle, a farmer from Purandar, spent around Rs 66,000 on his onion crop this season. The incessant rains damaged most of his yield, but he managed to salvage a portion and spent another Rs 1,500 to pack and transport it to the Purandar market yard for sale on Friday. To his shock, Ingle received just Rs 664 for 7.5 quintals of onions.“This was from one acre of land. I still have onions from another 1.5 acres, but I won’t sell them; I’ll run a rotor and turn them into fertiliser for next year. That’s more profitable than selling,” he said. “I’m still a relatively big farmer. I don’t know how smaller farmers with just one or two acres, many of whom have taken loans, will survive. If the govt doesn’t step in, farmer suicides will increase.”Ingle’s story is echoed across Maharashtra’s farmlands, where relentless rains and collapsing prices have left farmers struggling to survive. From onions, tomatoes, potatoes to pomegranates, custard apples, to soyabean, almost every crop has taken a hit this season.With no money in hand, farmers have no purchasing power, directly affecting rural markets that flourish during Diwali. “This year, Diwali is being celebrated only in cities. In villages, there’s no money to buy even a diya,” said an APMC member from Nashik.
Onions rot, markets stagnate
In Lasalgaon APMC, Asia’s largest onion market, prices range from Rs 500 to Rs 1,400 per quintal, with the average stable at Rs 1,050 (Rs 10.50/kg) for the past week before it closed for Diwali. An APMC member said, “This summer (March–April), we saw a bumper onion crop. The shelf life is around seven months, so many farmers who didn’t sell then, hoping for higher prices, stored it and are selling now. The new crops faced the wrath of rains as 80% of the onion crop in the Nashik region is damaged. Even the salvaged stock is of poor quality and selling for very low prices.”Ingle said farmers spend heavily right from preparing fields, buying saplings, sowing, spraying pesticides, watering, weeding, harvesting, packing, and transporting the crop to market. “My 393 kg of onion was sold at Rs 3 per kg, 202 kg at Rs 2 per kg, and 146 kg at Rs 10 per kg, depending on the damage. Loading, unloading, weighing, and transport cost Rs 1,065. So the net amount I got after deducting that from Rs 1,729 was Rs 664,” said Ingle flatly, adding, “Being a farmer means a life of struggles.”
‘Better to destroy crops than sell’
Manikrao Zende, who farms custard apple, pomegranate, and onions in Purandar, incurred significant losses this year. “Looking at the market rate, I ran a rotor through my onion crop which will at least help fertilise the field because selling it will increase my losses. I invested Rs 1.5 lakh in the pomegranate farm this year, but due to non-stop rains, the plants turned black, forcing me to discard them. The same happened with the 500 custard apple saplings I planted. It cost me around Rs 1 lakh, but the rains ruined them, and I had to sell them for Rs 50,000,” said Zende.
‘The day farmers get fair prices, crime will come down’
Zende blamed the govt for ignoring the plight of farmers, alleging that the administration is yet to conduct a panchnama of his fields despite the destruction caused by rains. He also linked the rise in crime across the state to the growing distress in farming. “When farmer families do not have money, their children have no work. Some migrate to cities, but some stay back. The youth has no money, no job, and criminal elements easily attract this crowd. This is why we have such a surge in criminal activity among the youth. The day farmers get work and a fair price for their produce, crime will come down,” he said.
Produce from other states, stock coming to market
The average price of tomatoes in the Pimpalgaon Baswant APMC stands at Rs 1,100 per crate (20 kg). Manik Gore, a commissioning agent at the Chakan APMC and a farmer himself, said that while he usually skips the May–October season, this year he sowed soyabean on one acre of land. But nothing survived the rains. “My input cost was Rs 20,000, completely gone. The onion coming to market is spoiled due to rain. If a farmer brings 50 kg, only 10 kg or less gets a decent price, and the rest is sold at Rs 2–3 per kg. Onion and potatoes from other states like UP and Gujarat are flooding the markets. Good-quality potatoes sell at Rs 10–15 per kg, but the input cost per acre is around Rs 40,000. Considering that, whatever we are getting now is nothing. Farmers around Pune are still better off, but 80–100 km away, their situation is heartbreaking,” said Gore.
Poor govt policies blamed
Gore said poor govt policies have worsened the onion crisis. “Onion was getting good prices, but India banned exports in 2023. Other countries swooped in on our market share, and when the ban was finally lifted, we lost our clients in the international market. If the govt can ban exports when prices rise, should they not buy onions at a good price when the market crashes? That never happens. Farming means a life of suffering,” he said.
Soyabean, old stock of toor, chana also hit
According to Ramesh Suryavanshi, a trader at Latur APMC for soyabean, one of the biggest in India, 50% of the soyabean crop in the region was damaged due to rains. “The average price of good soyabean (12-2-2 which means maximum 12% moisture, 2% impurities (foreign matter), and 2% damaged kernels) is between Rs 4,100 to Rs 4,250. But the ones destroyed by moisture are selling for as low as Rs 2,000- Rs 3,000 per quintal which doesn’t even cover half of the input cost in growing the crop,” said Suryavanshi adding that farmers are hoping procurement centres will open soon.Even the farmers and traders who kept the old stock in hopes to sell it when the markets improve are forced to sell at low prices. “The rates for soyabean have not improved for two years now and even the rates of chana and toor dal are poor. Good quality chana is being sold at Rs 5,400-Rs 5,500 but the damaged ones are selling at Rs 3,000. Same with toor dal which is selling maximum at Rs 6,800. Farmers can’t even buy the bare minimum for Diwali. And because farmers lost their purchasing power, other Diwali businesses are also affected. The overall situation is gloomy,” said Suryavanshi.
