Farmers face financial burden as onion prices slump in Rajasthan's Jodhpur

Jodhpur (Rajasthan) [India], May 27 : Putting a back-breaking financial burden on the farmers in Rajasthan's Jodhpur, the prices of onion have slumped due to low demand and reduced transportation amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Sellers at Badwasiya Mandi in Jodhpur said that onion, which used to sell at Rs 20-22 per kg just before the lockdown, are now going at Rs 4-7 per kg now.
A merchant who buys harvest from farmers and sells it at the Badwasiya Mandi said that the reduced transportation of onions to other cities is the biggest factor in the reduced prices.
"Onions are selling at Rs 4-7 now. Just before the lockdown, onion was selling at Rs 20-22. A lot of the produce is not able to be transported to other cities. The produce is sitting here but there is no demand. That is why the prices of onion have slumped in the area," the merchant, Naseem, told ANI here on Wednesday.
A seller at the market, Hiralal Gehlot, said that the farmers are facing a lot of issues, including the impact of lockdown, scorching heat, lack of laborers, etc.
"The combination of all these factors has put a financial burden on the farmers. They are not even able to get their investment in the harvest. The harvest is also getting spoiled because there isn't enough storage capacity in Rajasthan," Gehlot said.
He said that the government should take cognizance of the grading and storage issues, train farmers, and grant appropriate subsidies.
Onion from Jodhpur is usually sent to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu, etc.
Another seller, Megharam Pariya, said that a lot of the harvest is lying at the farmers' field because they are unable to carry it to the markets.
"Due to the lockdown, a lot of the harvest is still lying in the field. Not to mention, if one coronavirus case is found in a village, the entire village is sealed and the farmers are not able to go and sell their harvest. Farmers are losing money in their harvest," he said.