Junnar town, which supplies most of the onions we eat, has run out of stock; farmers predict prices will reach the three-figure mark in the new year
Junnar town, which supplies most of the onions we eat, has run out of stock; farmers predict prices will reach the three-figure mark in the new year
Even as farmers smart enough to stock up on onions mint money, you should prepare to cry your way from the vegetable market ufffd if you aren't already ufffd as onion prices are set to touch Rs 100 per kg by next month.
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When MiD DAY visited the Junnar market in the district, which supplies the bulk of onion stock arriving in the city as well as Mumbai, sellers and farmers said the produce had been abysmal this year. They said the already depleted supply from the Junnar market is set to go down further and they would not be surprised if prices hit the 100-rupee mark by January.
"Rain and lower temperatures during Diwali coupled with excessive dew this winter has led to crops rotting in all the neighbouring areas that supply onions to the Junnar market. The time post-Diwali is when the new seeds are planted. Stocks have been sold out and the new produce will come only in April. This aggravated situation will lead to new highs in onion prices and they could even hit Rs 100 per kg in the next month," said Yogesh Doke, sarpanch of Kumshet village, who owns eight acres of farm land.
"Normally, 1,200 tonnes of onions are supplied to Mumbai and Pune from Junnar every day. Now, however, the supply is down to barely 250 tonnes," said onion trader Uttam Tajne from Junnar.
Artificial shortage?
While some farmers like Rajendra Ganpat Bhagat from Junnar, who started stocking up on the produce once the rates started increasing, have benefited from the shortage, the majority of farmers insist the shortage is not an artificial one. "Farmers and traders get a 15 per cent profit in every transaction. With rates soaring, farmers had, initially, stocked up on the produce to make a little extra money, but even those stocks have run out now.
They had to release the stock because the weather doesn't even permit its storage," said Tajne.
Other areas too
"The other major onion producing areas like Nashik, Otur, Ambegaon and Khed, which also supply the vegetable to cities like Mumbai and Pune, are facing the same problem. Crops have been destroyed and stocks have almost run out," said Rameshwar Khot, a farmer from Kusur, a village near Junnar.
| Doing the maths |
| Ramesh Durafe, a farmer from Junnar, said the cost of production for one kg of onions is close to Rs 4. The following factors led him to arrive at this figure:u00a0 |
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