An increase in production and harvest of small onions has resulted in the price of small onions falling by more than 50%. Though Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) predicts that the chances for increase in price of the staple vegetable is remote, veteran small onion farmers say playing a smart waiting game will result in prices going up by at least 75% in May-June.
The price of shallots which was hovering around Rs 60 per kg in November and December fell sharply to around Rs 24 per kg in the week post-Pongal. The fall in prices has worried thousands of farmers who have cultivated small onions in the state during or just after the heavy North East monsoons. Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of small onion in India. It accounts approximately 90 percent of country's shallot production.
The Back office of Agro Marketing Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre (AMI& BPC) predicts that the price of the vegetable is unlikely to increase in March-April too.
Small onion farmers, in Coimbatore and neighbouring districts, say this trend of low prices occurs every alternate year during this season. "" Prices of small onions usually drop when too many farmers begin cultivating it after seeing high prices the previous season,"" said a Thondamuthur based farmer who has been cultivating small onions for the past two decades, T Kathiresan. ""Another reason for fall in prices is that all farmers want to harvest their crop immediately after Pongal, so too much produce hits the market,"" he said.
The district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, A Kandasamy, said that the price of small onions which was hovering at around Rs 60 per kg in markets and around Rs 45 per kg at the farm gates during Diwali, enticed a lot of farmers to cultivate small onions as a Rabi crop in October and November. ""The good rains also resulted in increased production because moist soil conditions helps in bulb formation,"" he said. The acreage under cultivation in Coimbatore district alone should have gone up by 200 hectares, said Kathiresan.
Farmers say it would be advisable to store the onions or not harvest it till March-end. ""We expect the prices to go up in April-May during the summer, because cultivation will come down. That is when you have to sell your produce,"" said Kathiresan. ""We expect prices to go up to Rs 40 per kg in May,"" he said. ""Unfortunately only 10% of the small onion farmers store their produce and wait for good prices to sell,"" he added.
The major small onion growing states are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Major importers for small onion are Bangladesh, Malaysia, UAE and Sri Lanka.
The price of shallots which was hovering around Rs 60 per kg in November and December fell sharply to around Rs 24 per kg in the week post-Pongal. The fall in prices has worried thousands of farmers who have cultivated small onions in the state during or just after the heavy North East monsoons. Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of small onion in India. It accounts approximately 90 percent of country's shallot production.
The Back office of Agro Marketing Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre (AMI& BPC) predicts that the price of the vegetable is unlikely to increase in March-April too.
Small onion farmers, in Coimbatore and neighbouring districts, say this trend of low prices occurs every alternate year during this season. "" Prices of small onions usually drop when too many farmers begin cultivating it after seeing high prices the previous season,"" said a Thondamuthur based farmer who has been cultivating small onions for the past two decades, T Kathiresan. ""Another reason for fall in prices is that all farmers want to harvest their crop immediately after Pongal, so too much produce hits the market,"" he said.
The district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, A Kandasamy, said that the price of small onions which was hovering at around Rs 60 per kg in markets and around Rs 45 per kg at the farm gates during Diwali, enticed a lot of farmers to cultivate small onions as a Rabi crop in October and November. ""The good rains also resulted in increased production because moist soil conditions helps in bulb formation,"" he said. The acreage under cultivation in Coimbatore district alone should have gone up by 200 hectares, said Kathiresan.
Farmers say it would be advisable to store the onions or not harvest it till March-end. ""We expect the prices to go up in April-May during the summer, because cultivation will come down. That is when you have to sell your produce,"" said Kathiresan. ""We expect prices to go up to Rs 40 per kg in May,"" he said. ""Unfortunately only 10% of the small onion farmers store their produce and wait for good prices to sell,"" he added.
The major small onion growing states are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Major importers for small onion are Bangladesh, Malaysia, UAE and Sri Lanka.