Karnataka: Onion farmers struggling as heavy rains, price slump devastate crops
Dharwad: Onion is the latest among the kharif crops to be damaged due to extreme rainfall in North Karnataka. Continuous rains and fungal blight have wiped out over 50% of the crop in Kittur Karnataka region and parts of Vijayanagar and Ballari districts.
The situation has worsened as onions, particularly local varieties, are struggling to find buyers in APMC markets due to poor size and quality, as reported by Deccan Herald on Monday.
This quality deterioration has led to a sharp fall in prices. In Hubballi APMC, one of the biggest markets for onion, local onions are being sold at Rs 500 to Rs 1,350 per quintal, while onions from Pune are fetching Rs 800 to Rs 1,900 per quintal. Last year, local onions were priced between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per quintal during the same period.
Farmers in Mumbai-Karnataka region and parts of Vijayanagar and Ballari, who had already endured massive crop losses of green gram, black gram, and soya due to excessive rainfall, are now grappling with yet another setback. Onion crops have been severely impacted by the continuous rains.
Onions were grown on 6,300 hectares this year in Dharwad. Continuous rains and fungal blight wiped out more than half of the crop, while the rest suffered quality deterioration, dragging down prices.
The financial strain on farmers is evident, as many are unable to recover even their production costs. “I cultivated onions on 1.5 acres, spending Rs 70,000. The rains destroyed much of the crop and I harvested only 58 bags, selling them for Rs 25,000. I haven’t even recovered my sowing and labour costs,” DH quoted Siddalingappa, a farmer from Doni in Gadag’s Mundargi taluk, as saying.
The situation is similar across Vijayapura, Bagalkot and Gadag districts. In Gadag alone, onions were grown on 14,000 hectares, but 4,000 hectares of crops were lost to the rains. Bagalkot also reported significant damage on over 3,000 hectares, while Vijayanagar lost 108.59 hectares of onion crops.
Somappa, who has been cultivating onions for years, explained that he has cultivated 50–60 acres of onions, but repeated price crashes forced him to scale down. “This year, I grew on just two acres, spending Rs 70,000 on inputs. Harvest was due in 2 weeks, but prices have already fallen,” DH quoted the farmer as saying.
Many farmers, disheartened by the poor market conditions, have been forced to leave harvested onions to rot in the fields.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
