Farmer gets only ₹8 for 205 kg of onion after travelling 415 km to Bengaluru

A farmer travelled 415 kilometres from north Karnataka's Gadag district to Bengaluru to sell 205 kilos of onions and got ₹8.36 in return.

Published on: Nov 29, 2022, 16:56:32 IST

By Yamini C S | Edited by Aniruddha Dhar

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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.

Onion prices were said to ₹500 per quintal a few days ago. (FILE)

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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