Farmers happy as onions sold at attractive price in Kurnool

Kurnool: Farmers of Kurnool district are expressing happiness on getting remunerative prices to their produce at agriculture market yard. A quintal of onion is being sold at the maximum rate of Rs.4000. This is the first highest rate of the season in the last three years.

The initial price during auction was at Rs.3,310 per quintal and later gone up to Rs.4,000. Earlier, the farmers have faced huge loss consecutively for three years. It is surprising to note that previous year the onions were sold at a price of Rs.300 to Rs.600 per quintal.

On getting good price to their produce at the market yard the farmers had a sigh of relief and are in a condition to repay the loans. The onion crops in Maharashtra state were damaged due to incessant rains and that was the reason behind getting good price for the commodity in Kurnool.

The present rate is likely to increase in the coming days. With the crop loss at Maharashtra onion merchants are flocking at Kurnool. This year the farmers have cultivated onion crop in less extent compared to previous years. Of the normal area of 32,000 hectares, the crop has been cultivated in 18,000 hectares, stated by the Horticulture department Assistant Director, Raghunath Reddy.

Though the crop is cultivated in less area, it is getting good price at agriculture market yard. Previous year we had incurred huge loss from the crop. But the price this year is much satisfactory and it will help us to repay the debts incurred, said a farmer of Bastipadu in Kallur mandal.