Heavy rains, price slump push onion growers in Karnataka to the brink

Dharwad: Onion is the latest among the kharif crops to be damaged due to extreme rainfall in North Karnataka. Continuous rains and fungal blight have wiped out over 50% of the crop in Kittur Karnataka region and parts of Vijayanagar and Ballari districts.

In a double blow to farmers, in many APMC markets, local onions are not finding any takers as they lack size and quality. The harvested crop has suffered quality deterioration, dragging down prices. At Hubballi APMC, one of the biggest markets for onion, local produce is sold at Rs 500 to Rs 1,350 per quintal, while Pune onions fetch Rs 800–Rs 1,900 per quintal. The prices for the local variety were at Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per quintal during the corresponding time, last year.

Farmers in Mumbai-Karnataka region and parts of Vijayanagar and Ballari, who had already suffered heavy crop losses of green gram, black gram and soya due to excessive rains, are now grappling with another crisis. 

Onion crops have been badly hit, and prices have crashed. In many APMC markets, local onions are finding no takers as they lack size and quality.

Onion is widely cultivated in Dharwad, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Haveri, Gadag, Chitradurga, Ballari and Koppal districts, with Hubballi APMC being the main market. Though arrivals have begun, the sudden price collapse has left growers in distress.

In Dharwad, onions were grown on 6,300 hectares this year. Continuous rains and fungal blight wiped out over 50% of the crop, while the rest suffered quality deterioration, dragging down prices.

Local produce has been affected by ‘majige roga,’ twister disease and decay, while onions from Pune set price benchmark. Farmers are struggling to cover even production costs. 

Siddalingappa, a farmer from Doni in Gadag’s Mundargi taluk, said, “I cultivated onions on 1.5 acres, spending
Rs 70,000. The rains destroyed much of the crop and I harvested only 58 bags, selling them for Rs 25,000. I haven’t even recovered my sowing and labour costs.”

The story is the same across Vijayapura, Bagalkot and Gadag districts. In Gadag alone, onions were grown on 14,000 hectares, but crops on 4,000 hectares were lost to rains. Bagalkot too reported damages on over 3,000 hectares, while in Vijayanagar, 108.59 hectares of onion have been lost.

Farmer Somappa said, “Earlier, I cultivated 50–60 acres of onion, but repeated price crashes forced me to scale down. This year, I grew on just two acres, spending Rs 70,000 on inputs. Harvest was due in 2 weeks, but prices have already fallen.” Several farmers have left harvested onions to rot in the fields.

Onion trader Nagaraj said local first-grade onions are priced at Rs 700 to Rs 1,200 per quintal, second grade at Rs 500 to Rs 700, and third grade onions are priced a meagre Rs 200–Rs 400. In contrast, Nashik and Pune onions fetch Rs 1,200–Rs 1,600.

“Earlier, onions from this region were supplied to Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Srinagar, Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu. But this year, these states themselves have had good harvest,” Hubballi APMC officials said.

Cut-off box - Harapanahalli farmer destroys 12 acres of onion
A farmer from Chigateri in Harapanahalli taluk Vijayanagar district has destroyed onion crop cultivated on 12 acres following a price slump and rapid decline in yield quality.
Farmer D Ramanagouda has cultivated onion on 15 acres hoping for a good yield and price. But the price slumped just when his crop was ready to harvest. He left the produce in the field hoping that the prices would recover. The incessant rain however dashed his hopes as the crop started to rot due to high amount of moisture in soil. The hapless farmer got his yield destroyed using tractors. He demanded the state government to provide adequate compensation to onion farmers.