COIMBATORE: A group of shallot farmers staged a novel protest to highlight their losses due to steep fall in price. They sold shallots at the rate of Rs 1 per kilo in front of the collectorate on Monday. Farmers brought around 100 kg of shallots and offered one kilo free for every kilo bought.
"Traders offer less than Rs 10 for a kilo and we cannot afford it. Hence we sold it directly to people to avoid the produce from getting ruined. We hope our action reflects the reality of the returns we get after all the hard work," said a farmer.
Farmers appealed to the State government should procure onion, like the paddy procurement, when its price falls. "Shallots are cultivated on 25,000 acres in western parts of the district and the cultivation took up to 70 days. Amid several hurdles, farmers cultivate onion by spending at least Rs 75,000 per acre. If we have to stock up the harvest hoping for better returns, we must spend additionally Rs 10000 to build the storage structure. But in the last two months, there is no hope in the price hike. Due to the price fall, we are a force to keep our produces in stock," Su Palanisamy, President, Tamil Nadu Farmers Association (AIKS).
R Periyasamy, a farmer from Theethipalayam , who cultivated shallots in three acres said, "I spent Rs 70,000 per acre for cultivating shallots. At this rate, we will get Rs 40,000 The returns are so low that we cannot recover even the input cost."
'To avoid such situation in future, the State government should come forward to procure from farmers at a minimum support price of Rs 50 per kg," he added. An official in the district administration said their petition will be forwarded to the Department of Agricultural Marketing Board in Chennai.