TIRUPPUR: With the fear of a prolonged summer season and water scarcity, shallot farmers have decided to extend the storage of their harvest in the 'pattarai' system in Palladam. Most farmers who store in the 'pattarai system' often take out the shallot in 60 to 75 days, but this time they have extended the storage up to 90 days.
Speaking to TNIE, S Moorthy a farmer from Palladam, "I sowed shallot on 1.5 acres at the end of January 2024. I was waiting for the harvest in the last week of March. The sudden fall in the price of shallot is shocking. Traders fixed the price at Rs 30 per kilogram, though the total production cost touches Rs 25 per kg. I spent a few thousands rupees and created a large 'pattarai' and stored around 6 tonnes of shallot in the last week of April. I am happy as currently the procurement price from traders has increased to Rs 45 per kg. But farmers are concerned about future sowing due to the hot weather. Besides, water scarcity has increased and water level in wells has plunged. Considering these conditions, we decided to extend the storage of shallot by one more month."
K Boopathy, a farmer, said, "In December I sowed the shallot in more than 4 acres in Pollikalipalayam village in Palladam and harvested it after mid-March. Though I got around 15 tonnes, I was upset as the procurement price was around Rs 30 per kg. So, I decided to store it in the pattarai system. This will ensure shelf life for 90 days, but most of the time, we will take them out within 60-75 days. But this time, we have decided to extend the storage for up to 90 days, owing to water scarcity and expecting shortage of shallot in the coming months."
An official from Tiruppur Agriculture Department said, "In early January and mid-December, several hundred acres of shallot were harvested in Palladam and Pongalur alone. When they harvested, they found price fluctuation in the shallot market, so they resorted to these pattarai storage practices. Since these systems also safeguards against hot sun and rain, one can notice many such systems in their own farmland. More importantly, we cannot predict the weather and environment conditions. So, they have extended the storage time."