Karnataka Seeks Centre’s Nod to Procure Onions Under PDPS After Price Crash: Minister Shivanand Patil
Bengaluru: In response to the sharp decline in onion prices across Karnataka, the state government is moving to procure onions under the Price Deficiency Procurement Scheme (PDPS), Agriculture Marketing Minister Shivanand Patil announced on Thursday.
Minister Patil said that heavy monsoon rains this year have severely damaged onion crops ready for harvest, leading to a drastic fall in market rates. According to official reports, the current market price of onions has dropped below production costs, compared to the average price during the previous season.
“We are submitting a proposal to the Central Government seeking permission to procure onions under the PDPS scheme to protect farmers from financial loss,” Patil stated in his release.
Karnataka cultivates onions over 2.05 lakh hectares, yielding approximately 27 lakh metric tonnes annually, mainly across districts such as Vijayapura, Chitradurga, Bagalkote, Vijayanagara, Belagavi, Dharwad, Koppal, and Gadag.
Due to excess rainfall and subsequent price collapse, a large portion of the crop has been damaged in the fields. Departmental reviews and discussions held with horticulture and market officials suggested initial procurement under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).
However, based on recent evaluations, officials have concluded that procurement under PDPS would be more beneficial and have thus sent a formal proposal to the Centre for approval, Minister Patil confirmed.
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