Another disappointing incident occurred when a 58-year-old farmer from his village travelled 70 kilometres to the Solapur Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) to sell his 512 kg of onion produce. Despite his efforts, Rajendra Tukaram Chavan was only able to sell the onions for Rs 1 per kg. After deducting expenses, his revenue was Rs. 2.49 out of Rs. 512.
The APMC trader deducted Rs 509.5 from Rs 512 for transportation, head-loading, and weighing fees, according to Chavan. Because bank transactions are frequently in round figures, the 49 paise will not show on the cheque.
Furthermore, the Rs. 2 cheque he received will be cashed only after 15 days, and Chavan can only get it from the trader, which he believes is not worth the effort. He added that he sold the onions for Rs 20 per kilogramme last year.
The disheartened farmer said that he spent around Rs 40,000 to grow the onions as the price of seeds and fertiliser has doubled in the last few years.
But a massive production this year brought a huge dip in wholesale prices. Due to this, Nashik’s Lasalgaon APMC saw a dip of around 70 per cent in the onion purchase price.
The trader who bought the onions from Chavan said that the produce this year was of low quality. Earlier, Chavan had brought high-quality onions that were sold at Rs 18 per kg, and another batch was sold at Rs 14 per kg, he said.