Mandsaur: Madhya Pradesh government’s decision to buy onion at minimum support price (MSP) as a measure to quell farmer protests after Mandsaur violence has led to another problem as 8,000 tonne onion is lying around Bhopal’s Karond Mandi for over two weeks.
Farmers from across the state have brought their onions to mandis and the vegetable is rotting in the open.
After the Mandsaur firing incident on June 6, the state government has decided to buy onions directly from farmers.
Nepal Singh, a small farmer who owns half an acre land in Semli village near Mandsaur, grows onions on a small portion of his land. He said the market price for onions is Rs 3-5 per kg, while a farmer has to invest Rs 8-10 per kg.
The resulting loss of around Rs 5 per kg is partly the reason why farmers in Mandsaur were driven to protest.
After the firing, allegedly by the police, the government decided to procure onion directly from farmers at the rate of Rs 8 per kg.
Farmers here are now happy that at least one of their crops is getting fair price.
Ramesh Rajora, a resident of Jiran village in Neemuch district, said the government wanted to sell onion to poor families at Rs 3 per kg. However, this plan has also not taken off.
The government godowns have run out of storage space for onions.
In Malwa region, onions are not even the main crops. Nayim Khan, a dairy farm owner in Kuchdod village said the move wouldn’t benefit local farmers that much. “The main crops here are Soyabean and Wheat and the government hasn’t decided anything about these crops so far,” he said.
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