Gadwal: Onion farmers seek procurement centres in villages

Gadwal: The onion farmers of Gadwal district are in panic as they are unable to sell their produce during the lockdown period. Majority of the farmers have harvested the produce and stocked it in their houses and fields as there are no transport and marketing facilities.

The farmers demanded the government to set up onion procurement centres in villages in the lines of paddy procurement centres and help them to come out of the crisis.

They also sought the government to buy onions at minimum support price or arrange transportation for them so that they can take their produce to bigger markets like Hyderabad.

The onion farmers from Alampur, Gadwal and surrounding regions have a good harvest.

An onion farmer from Honkalla village of Gadwal district, Vemula Nagaraju said that they have invested about Rs 1 lakh per acre for onion cultivation. The local traders are ready to buy onions for Rs 600 to Rs 700 per quintal, which is very low and couldn't even cover investment. Nagaraju requested the government to purchase onions from them at minimum support price of at least Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per quintal.

Reminding that the State government had purchased their produce at msp last year, he urged the government to arrange marketing facilities at their place due to no transportation and to procure all their produce at minimum support price.