Bengaluru: Karnataka Agriculture Marketing Minister Shivanand Patil has informed that the state government is seeking approval from the central government to procure onions under the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) in view of a sharp fall in prices.
“Excessive rainfall during the current kharif and rabi seasons has caused massive damage to onion crops, resulting in significant losses for farmers. Compared to the last season, current market rates are below production costs,” Minister Patil said. “Considering this, a proposal has been submitted to the Centre to allow procurement of onions under PDPS,” he added.
In Karnataka, onions are cultivated across 2.05 lakh hectares, with an annual output of around 27 lakh metric tonnes. Major growing districts include Vijayapura, Chitradurga, Bagalkote, Vijayanagar, Belagavi, Dharwad, Koppal, and Gadag. The recent heavy rains have led to extensive crop damage, causing prices to plummet and leaving large quantities of onions rotting in the fields.
Officials from relevant departments held meetings and recommended procurement under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) to support affected farmers. Following this recommendation, the government has submitted a proposal to the Centre for approval to procure onions under PDPS.
In addition, Minister Patil has urged authorities to quickly initiate procurement centers for soyabean and groundnut at the support prices of ₹5,328 per quintal for soyabean and ₹7,623 per quintal for groundnut. Registration and procurement processes are to be started simultaneously to ensure timely support.
Soyabean procurement will cover Bidar, Belagavi, Dharwad, Haveri, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, and Bagalkote districts, while groundnut will be procured in Koppal, Dharwad, Haveri, Vijayanagar, Ballari, Chitradurga, Gadag, Bagalkote, Davanagere, Raichur, Tumakuru, and Vijayanagar districts.
Agencies appointed for procurement include NAFED, NCDEX, and the Karnataka State Cooperative Marketing Federation. Registration for farmers has been set for 80 days, and the procurement period for 90 days, Minister Patil noted.
