Karnataka to start onion purchase from today

The Dharwad district administration will start purchasing fair average quality (FAQ) onion under minimum support price scheme at six centres in the district from Thursday.

Deputy commissioner M S Srikar said here that the two purchase centres each would be set up at Morab and Annigeri in Navalgund taluk and APMC yard at Amargol near Hubli.

Meanwhile, the farmers staged a demonstration in front of the DC's office seeking higher support price for onion and submitted a memorandum early this week.

The government based on the recommendation of the agriculture price commission has fixed Rs 400, Rs 270 and Rs 100 per quintal for the first, second and third grade onion respectively. The state government has already released Rs 1 crore to facilitate purchase of onion from the revolving fund. Arrangements have been made for grading the onions at all the centres.

Even as the farmers continued their struggle for a hike in minimum support price for their produce, the price of onion in the market showed a slight upward trend with the price for FAQ onion reaching Rs 420 per quintal on Monday.

The specification for the first grade onion is that it should have more than 30mm diameter, while the diameter of the second grade should be between 20mm up to 30mm and the third grade onion less than 20mm.

The DC said the decision was taken at the district level task force meeting. Special squads headed by officers from the departments of agriculture marketing, horticulture and weights and measures have been formed to monitor the smooth purchasing process.

From small and marginal farmers 50 quintals each will be purchased. The farmers should bring the document from the village accountant about the land holding.

The Karnataka Rajya Pakshateeta Raita Hitarakshana Kendra Samiti (KRPRHKS) and Pragatipara Raitha Horata Samiti in a memorandum to the chief minister have demanded minimum support price at the rate of Rs 800, Rs 700 and Rs 500 per quintal for the first three grades respectively.

The farmers led by KRPRHKS president B M Hanasi came in a procession to the DC's office and raised slogans against the state government for fixing the support price at a lower level than promised.

They reminded that chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and deputy chief minister B S Yadiyurappa had during their visit to Navalgund taluk last week had announced that the government would purchase onion at Rs 300-500 per quintal.

"Now the government is betraying the farmers by fixing the price at Rs 100-400," Hanasi alleged.

Progressive farmer B H Devaraddi said the farmers would suffer a loss of Rs 2,345 per acre if the government had purchased at Rs 340 per quintal, which was the support price fixed for 2005-2006.

He said the farmer would be saved from loss only if the government hiked the support price to Rs 500, Rs 400 and Rs 250 per quintal respectively for three qualities.

The farmers have also demanded purchase of maize at Rs 800 per quintal under the minimum support price scheme.