Potato farmers shift to garlic cultivation to recover losses

Thousands of local potato farmers shifted to garlic cultivation in the hope that they could make up for the losses they incurred from the low potato prices. However, they have not been able to recover from their debts yet as now, they are bearing the brunt of low garlic prices. Again, they have been caught in the vicious circle of moneylenders, migration and suicide.

Garlic prices have dropped by almost 90 per cent as compared to last year. Usually sold at Rs 5,000-7,000 a quintal, the crop is now hardly fetching Rs 700, leaving no option for the peasants but to migrate to cities or commit suicide.

“We are not able to regain our investments from the current market prices. We need around Rs 1,000 to cultivate one bigha (equivalent to 0.08 hectares) with garlic, while the market price is way lower than this,” said Ram Babu Pandey of neighbouring Akbarpur district.

Dr R P Katiyar of Chandrashekhar Agricultural University (CSA), Kanpur, said that around 3,000 hectares were utilised for garlic cultivation by farmers expecting to recover the losses incurred in potato harvest. The expectations have, however, come to an opposite end.

Garlic, a dietary supplement, is used in tablets and capsules and in fluid extracts. Today, garlic is one of the best-selling botanical remedies in the US and Europe and various medicine manufacturers export it to the West.

Last year, garlic fetched good profits, so peasants cultivated large areas under garlic. The crop registered good harvest this year due to favourable weather conditions, but the abysmal market rates have spoilt all the hopes nurtured.

The wholesalers and middlemen are not willing to procure the harvest even for Rs 400 a quintal, forcing a loss of at least Rs 600 a quintal on the overdrawn peasants.

The already debt-ridden peasants have almost no hope left now. “The government is paying no attention to our plight. I have no option left as I cannot bear the threats from the creditors,” said Subhash Yadav of Mainpuri district.

When asked about the recent credit waiver by the Central government, most of the peasants failed to get happier as most of them have borrowed from private money-lenders who provide credit without much formality. “We do not have the information and documents for obtaining institutional loans,” Yadav said.

Every year, a number of ayurvedic and pharmaceutical companies used to buy large quantities of garlic but this year even they have not come. “The banks are pressurising us to repay the loans but we don’t have anything left with us,” added Yadav.