Maharashtra Farmer Gets ₹ 2.49 Profit On Sale Of 512 Kg Onions
A planter from Maharashtra’s Solapur was in for a rude shock when he got to know that he has earned a profit of simply ₹2.49 against the trade of his 512 kg onions to a dealer in the quarter. The planter, 63- time-old Rajendra Chavan who resides in Barshi tehsil of Solapur, said his onion yield brought a price of ₹ 1 per kg at the Solapur request yard and after all the deductions he entered this paltry sum as his net profit last week.
Talking to PTI, Chavan said,” I had transferred 10 bags of onions importing further than five quintals to an onion dealer in Solapur for trade. But after abating charges towards lading, transport, labour and others, I entered a net profit of just ₹2.49 from him.” The rate the dealer offered to me was ₹ 100 per quintal. The overall weight of the crop was 512 kg and the total price he got for the yield was ₹ 512, he said.
” After deductions worth ₹509.51 against labour, importing, transportation and other charges, I entered a net profit of ₹2.49. This is an personality to me and other onion- farmers in thestate.However, how will we survive?” he asked, If we get similar returns. He said the onion growers need to get a good price for the crop and the affected growers get compensation. While Chavan claimed that the yield was of good quality, the dealer said it was low- grade.
” The planter had brought only 10 bags and the yield was also of low grade. That’s why he got ₹ 100 per quintal rate. So after all the deductions, he got ₹ 2 as net profit,” the dealer said. He added that the same planter had entered good returns in the recent history by dealing further than 400 bags to me. ” This time he brought the remaining yield that was hardly 10 bags and since the prices have gone down, he got this rate,” he said. Speaking to PTI, growers leader and former MP Raju Shetti said that the onion hitting the request now is a’ kharif’ produce and can not be stored for a long time and that’s why the shelf life of the product is short.
” This onion needs to be vended in the request incontinently and exported out. But due to glut, the prices of onions have nosedived in the request,” he said. He added that this onion isn’t being bought by NAFED, so the only option is that the government should make the request available for this’ kharif’ onion.
” The government’s import and import policy regarding onions isn’t harmonious. We had two endless requests- Pakistan and Bangladesh, but they preferred buying onions from Iran rather of us due to the inconsistent policy of the government. The third request is Sri Lanka, but everyone knows their situation and no bone is taking pitfalls to shoot their yield,” he said. He added that the government should buy this onion or give subventions to growers.
