Summary:
COIMBATORE: Many small onion farmers in Coimbatore district are staring at a loss after the kharif harvest. “Small onion has become a burden to most farmers instead of bounty because of the low prices in the market. Small onions in storage are also getting spoilt because of lack of air circulation,” he said.Farmers say small onion is a crop that requires a minimum support price. The government, taking all these issues into account, should fix a price for it around Rs 30 to Rs 40 a kg at farmer’s gate protect farmers,” he said.Palanisamy said farmers should get a subsidy for small onion seeds and fertilisers to mitigate the current losses With small onion prices dropping to less than Rs 40 in the market and Rs 20 at the farmer’s gate, many farmers say their earnings will not even cover their labour costs.A few farmers, who opted for delayed sowing due to heavy rain in May and June, say their crops began spoiling..