Excess output hits onion and garlic farmers in India

Farmers growing garlic and onions are making losses due to excess production, subdued demand, lower exports, and increased cost of production inflicted by excess rainfall. Although, tomato prices have started improving since last week, farmers fear losses due to rainfall induced damages. Wholesale garlic prices have been ruling in the range of Rs 10-40/kg for two months, which makes it unviable for the farmers, who have to bear the logistics, packaging and other costs, said Pravin Kumar Dhamija, a garlic trader from the Azadpur Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Delhi. Farmers from Madhya Pradesh, the largest garlic growing state, are struggling to recover the cost of production, forcing the state government to constitute teams for exploring markets in other states. Onion prices are usually higher in the rainy season in the absence of fresh harvest anywhere in the country. However, currently, the prices of average quality old onion are in the range of Rs 9-13/kg in ...