Yamini C S | Edited by Aniruddha Dhar
A farmer from Gadag in north Karnataka earned ₹8.36 for 205 kilograms of onions after travelling 415 kilometres to Bengaluru’s Yeshwantpur market. The receipt of the transaction is going viral on the internet.
The farmer has been identified as Pawadeppa Hallikeri by The New Indian Express. The wholesaler buying the onions priced them at ₹200 per quintal, deducted ₹377 for freight charges and another ₹24 for porter charges, getting the total to ₹8.36. The dejected farmer shared his plight on the internet and warned other farmers to avoid selling their harvest in the Karnataka capital.
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Netizens were shocked at the ordeal. One of whom said, “This is how the double engine govt of @narendramodi & @BSBommai doubling the income of farmers (Adani). Gadag farmer travels 415 km to Bengaluru to sell onions, gets ₹8.36 for 205 kg!”
Farmers from the north Karnataka district are now considering protests against the government in demand to announce an MSP – minimum support price – for their yield. Gadag has also faced the brunt of incessant rain this year, which has given way to crop damage and also made the onions smaller in size.
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Pawadeppa, disheartened by the prices, told the publication that he spent over ₹25,000 to grow the crop and transport it to the state capital.
