Maharashtra farmer gets Rs. 71 for 773 kg onions, faces major losses

Onions, usually considered a valuable crop, have become a cause of distress for farmers this year. Kalyan Bhanudas Wargad, a farmer from Jinti in the Karmala taluka of Solapur district, has received a meager amount of Rs 71 for 16 sacks weighing 773 kg. Additionally, he is yet to be paid Rs 512 for the empty bags.

Today, Wargad sent 16 bags of onions weighing 773 kg to the market in Solapur. The onions were graded into two categories. Nine bags, weighing 440 kg, were priced at Rs 660, while the remaining seven bags were priced at Rs 333. The total earnings amounted to Rs 993. From this, Rs 61.07 was deducted for transportation, Rs 36.33 for weighing, Rs 24.00 for female labor, and Rs 800 for renting a motor. After deducting these expenses totaling Rs 921.40, Wargad was left with only Rs 71 in his hands.

The inadequate market prices for onions have negatively impacted the financial calculations of farmers relying on onion crops. Kalyan Wargad, a farmer from Jinti, cultivated onions on a five-acre plot this year. When he sent 20 bags of onions to the market last month, he received a meager bill of only Rs 2,000.

Wargad purchased empty bags (bardana) for onions from the village shop, which cost him Rs 512. He had to bear the expense himself. They also spent around Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 on various aspects of cultivating their onion crop, including tilling the land, planting, purchasing seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, medications, paying electricity bills, and labor costs. Unfortunately, the onion crop has resulted in a complete loss for them.