Farmers dump garlic on roads as prices dip; onion growers too suffer

Garlic market price drops from Rs 5K to Rs 7K per quintal to Rs 2K to Rs 3K due to heavy rain

- RAGHOTTAM KOPPAR @Gadag

FARMERS have resorted to discarding their garlic harvest on the roads and alleys of Lakshmeshwar in Gadag district due to an abrupt drop in prices. Many farmers engaged in heated arguments with wholesale buyers upon learning the current valuation of their produce. Just last week, the market price ranged from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 per quintal, but on Saturday, it plummeted to between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000 per quintal.

The main cause of this steep drop is attributed to incessant rainfall. Hence, farmers have called for a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP), while shopkeepers in the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) contend that pricing is dependent upon quality. The plight is dire for onion growers as well. In response to steeply dropping prices, many farmers have begun selling their onion harvest directly to consumers using goods vehicles.