Lack of MSP leaves onion ryots dejected

Kurnool: For not getting remunerative prices or minimum support price for their produce, particularly, in case of onions at Agriculture Market Yard in the city, farmers are forced to commit suicide. A farmer, Balija Ramudu of Vama Samudram village in Kallur Mandal in the district consumed pesticide-laced drink on Friday. He was immediately rushed to Kurnool General Hospital where he breathed his last on Sunday night, said Balija Ramesh, a distant relative of the deceased.

According to Ramesh, the deceased has raised onion crop on four acres of land. Of these four acres, he has taken three acres on lease by paying Rs 10,000 per acre. Due to lack of water sources, he has reaped a poor output of 200 bags of onion out of 4 acres.

Onions were taken to the Tadepalligudem Agriculture Market, hoping for a good remunerative price. Out of 200 bags, 90 bags of onions were totally damaged and the rest were sold at a price of Rs 600 per quintal.

After paying all the expenses including transportation costs, the deceased got Rs 15,000. He had invested Rs 2 lakh on 4-acre crop by borrowing from the money lenders. He hoped that the borrowed amount would be repaid after his yield was sold for remunerative price. To his astonishment, his hopes were dashed. On getting lesser amount, Balija Ramudu was in a state of shock as he was not in a position to repay his financial debts.

The deceased was said to have faced the same situation last year and was having debts worth Rs 3 lakh. Of not knowing how to repay Rs 5 lakh with interest, Balija Ramudu decided to end his life. Without discussing with his family members, he went to the field and consumed pesticide-laced drink, stated Balija Ramesh. The deceased is survived by wife and two children.

Kurnool district is the largest producer of onion crop apart from Kadapa and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and Medak in Telangana state. The onion crop is used to cultivate on an extent of 50,000 acres in the district. However, due to the continuous dry spell and lack of sufficient water resources in the district, the extent has shrunk to 31,500 acres according to the information given by the Horticulture department.

Every day, a minimum of 600 to 700 tonnes of onions are being received at Kurnool Agriculture Market and sold with good price. Agriculture Market Yard Assistant Director Narayana Chowdary said that onions were being sold at a good remunerative price. On Sunday, the top-quality onion was sold for Rs 1,730 and the average price was Rs 1,350.

Depending upon the quality of onions, the purchasers are fixing the prices, he added. Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham state leader K Jagannatham blamed the state government for the suicides of farmers in the district. He said that the government was importing onions from Egypt. What is the hurry in importing onions from Egypt, when abundance of onion produce was available at Kurnool, he wondered.

By V Narendra Kumar