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Nashik farmers worried amid crop infection crisis
Even as onion farmers in Nashik grapple with low wholesale prices, many are facing another setback of fungal disease affecting ready-to-harvest crops
Nashik: Even as onion farmers in Nashik grapple with low wholesale prices, many are now facing another setback of fungal disease affecting ready-to-harvest crops.
District agriculture officer Ravindra Mane told HT that the department will conduct a survey in rural Nashik to assess the extent of the damage.
“Our initial feedback is that the fungal disease is not widespread. A small number of farmers have been impacted,” Mane said.
According to officials, unseasonal rain and hailstorms in parts of rural Nashik last month triggered the fungal infection in onion crops.
The disease causes leaf spotting, yellowing and rotting of onion bulbs.
Subhas Shinde, a farmer from Satana taluka, said that a fungal infection damaged more than 40% of the 1,200 quintals of onions he cultivated on his farm.
“One part of the crop was damaged before I could harvest it, while the remaining stock got damaged during storage at my house before sale. It is a huge loss for me. I had invested ₹5 lakh to grow onions in my field,” lamented Shinde.
Bharat Dighole, president of the state onion growers’ association, said the fungal outbreak has worsened farmers’ distress.
“The onion farmers are already facing huge financial distress as wholesale prices continue to remain low. Now, some farmers have the added problem of fungal disease in their crop. The state government’s intervention is imperative to redress the woes of the farmers,” Dighole said.
The average wholesale price at Lasalgaon APMC, the country’s largest onion mandi, is around ₹1,100 per quintal. Daily arrivals at the market range between 12,000 and 15,000 quintals.
According to Dighole, the production cost of onions is about ₹1,800 per quintal.
“If the state government does not provide financial aid for the losses, onion growers will face huge financial hardship,” he added.
Onion exports from Nashik to Middle Eastern countries have also been hit by the ongoing conflict in the region. Shipping costs have risen sharply, prompting many exporters to hold back consignments.
Meanwhile, NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar is likely to visit Lasalgaon on April 18 to interact with onion growers and understand the extent of their financial distress.
