PERAMBALUR: Farmers in the district who, enthused by the procurement price that shallots commanded in November, went on take up its cultivation over increased acreage are in tears now as supply surpassing the demand has led to their harvest fetching only around Rs 10/kg as against Rs 70/kg two months ago.
Encouraged by those who took up shallot cultivation at the start of the August-November season receiving a procurement price of Rs 60-Rs 70 for their harvest, several farmers took to raising the crop over 3,500 hectares in November. Until then, the total crop acreage from April stood at only around 1,000 hectares, horticulture department officials noted.
Now as the harvesting of the 60-day crop is under way, the yield matching the average of 3 tonnes/acre has led to surplus supply, courtesy the increase in acreage. As a result, traders are offering farmers only a price hovering between Rs 10 and 20 per kilogram based on the quality.
This has left farmers in places like Nattarmangalam, Irur, Chettikulam and Bommanapadi in a spot. S Senthilkumar of Nattarmangalam said, "I cultivated shallots on my two acres by spending Rs 30,000/acre. While it has returned a yield of about 3 tonnes/ acre, the harvest from an acre fetched only `14/kg from traders a few days ago.
As a result, I am left without any profit." Mentioning that harvesting of the produce in his other acre is under way, he said that it, however, cannot be stored for long. “As a result, I am forced to sell that too at a low price," he added. Another farmer, S Nehru, said, “I took up shallot cultivation on an acre as it was returning good yield and also fetched a good price. But as I was harvesting, the price fell sharply.
Unable to sell it, I have stored away the harvest in my field.” While he expressed desire to sell the crop after Pongal when he said it would a good price, he said, “As winter is just passing, the stored shallots are likely to rot. I hence would never be able to fully recover the costs." He, however, remarked that shallots were being sold at Rs 30-Rs 50/kg in the retail and wholesale markets.
When contacted, Deputy Director of Horticulture (Perambalur) S Saranya told TNIE that the shallot supply exceeded demand. “As shallots cannot be stored like other vegetables, farmers sell it off for lower prices. We plan to procure the farmers’ shallots and send it to the weekly market which will be opened near Semmozhi Poonga in Chennai on January 12. That way farmers can get good prices."