Onion Price Hits Rock Bottom, Sells at Re 1 Per Kilo in Karnataka
Bengaluru, Nov 21: If you find too many onion pieces in your food at a north Indian restaurant in Karnataka, don't be surprised. A kilogram of onion costs just a rupee at wholesale markets in the state!
The onion price has hit rock-bottom in the last one week and the growers are literally crying in Karnataka, one of the largest producers of India's most essential vegetable.
The onion is selling at Rs 100 for a bag of 100 kilograms in Hubli, Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Bagalkote, Belgaum, Davangere and Chitradurga wholesale markets. A week ago, the price was about Rs 500 per quintal and it crashed to Rs 200 a day later.
The free fall of onion price has triggered panic across onion growing districts of Belgaum, Bijapur, Bagalkote, Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Davangere, Chitradurga and others.
According to farmer leaders, there has been a sudden arrival of large quantity of onion from across Karnataka and Maharashtra in the market, leading to price crash.
"The output has been good across Karnataka this year. The farmers have brought the crop to market. But the price is too low. They can't recover even their transportation charge, forget the cultivation cost," said a farmer from Dharwad district.
Karnataka exports most of its onion to neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Kerala and northern states. The truckers had stopped plying to Tamil Nadu because of Cyclone Gaja for over a week, resulting in price crash in Karnataka.
"It may take a few more days to resume onion supply to Tamil Nadu. Left with no other options, some farmers are selling onion for just Re 1 per kilo," said a trader from Hubli.
In north Indian markets, Karnataka competes with Maharashtra onion and over 40,000 bags of onions from the western state have arrived in Rajasthan's Alwar market, nearly 166 km from Delhi, on Monday further pushing the price down, claims another trader.
The farmer associations have asked state and Centre to come to the rescue of hapless growers immediately. "Whenever onion price goes up, the media covers it like tsunami. It happens once in five years may be. Onion price crashes every year forcing many farmers to end their lives. Sadly, no media covers it and the government does nothing," said a veteran farmer leader C Narasimhappa.
The lack of storage facilities and proper guidance to farmers are said to be the main reasons for onion price crash as the growers can't hoard their produces for a longer period.
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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8 children between ages of 1 and 14 dead after mass shooting in Louisiana, police say
Shreveport(US) (AP): A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said.
The victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, said Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 were shot and some of the children were related to the suspect, Bordelon said.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon said. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon.
Police did not release the name of the suspect but did say he was an adult male. The shootings were the result of a “domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said.
Officials said they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport — the two homes and a third location.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” he said.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It's a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We're deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added.
