A farmer from Gadag in Karnataka received a mere Rs 8.36 for 205 kg onion after travelling 415 km to Bengaluru. A photograph of the farmer’s receipt has now gone viral with netizens sympathising about the fate of farmers who get such low prices for their produce. The farmer, identified as Pavaadappa Hallikere, along with other farmers from Thimmapur, had sold the produce at the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard in Bengaluru's Yeshwantpur on November 26. As per the receipt, the total price for 205 kg of onion is Rs 410, while the charges for porter service and freight are Rs 401. So, after reducing the porter and freight charges, the farmer purportedly only got Rs 8.36. A Twitter user named Arjun, whose bio says he is a farmer and entrepreneur, noted that the Gadag farmer travelled 415 km to sell his produce in Bengaluru. “This is how The double engine Govt of @narendramodi & @BSBommai doubling the income of farmers (Adani),” Arjun tweeted. This is how The double engine Govt of @narendramodi & @BSBommai doubling the income of farmers (Adani) Gadag farmer travels 415 km to Bengaluru to sell onions, gets Rs 8.36 for 205 kg! pic.twitter.com/NmmdQhAJhv — Arjun (@arjundsage1) November 28, 2022 According to Y H Babari, another farmer from the village, around 300 bags were loaded to a truck by seven to eight villagers and sent to Bengaluru. “When we arrived in the market, it was filled with onions supplied from Nasik in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu,” he said, noting that the quality of the produce from the neighbouring states was relatively better than theirs. The bulb size of onion grown by us was smaller due to continuous rainfall in the state during monsoons, he told indianexpress.com. “As a result, the price paid to the produce was lesser than it has been in the past two years,” he said. While Pavaadappa got Rs 410 for the four bags sent by him from Gadag, Babari received a payment of around Rs 16,000 for the 32 bags supplied by him. Of the Rs 410, Rs 377.64 was deducted as freight cost, and Rs 24 was cut as Hamali charges, leaving the farmer with a gross payment of Rs 8.36. “When he asked, the trader said that he was being paid based on the product,” Babari, who is a distant relative of Pavaadappa, said. Farmers like him, who had taken 30 or 40 bags, were expecting a payment of Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per quintal, (or around Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per 50 kg bag). However, the farmers only got around Rs 500-530 per 50 kg bag, he said. After the photo of his bill went viral, Pavaadappa, a small-time farmer, felt threatened and feared that he would face some consequences. Babari said that many farmers have faced the same problem. "But, not everyone has complained," he added. Pavaadappa was not immediately available for comment. Several users were saddened by the farmer’s plight. A user commented, “If it’s true, it’s really sad situation Freight charges are fine, but 100rs per 50KG is ridiculous Here in Gurgaon Onions are selling 50-55 rs per KG - Not Fare!!” Another user wrote, “It’s inhuman..Think about the time and efforts invested by the famer..It justs saddens me.. Wholesaler please have a heart.” A third user wrote, “Really shocking Without farmers we are nothing Is this the rate that has to be offered to them Is the Government sleeping." Really shocking😱 Without farmers we are nothing Is this the rate that has to be offered to them Is the Government sleeping 😠 — Nikhilesh Kumar (@Nikhilesh412) November 29, 2022 This is shocking!! — BornFree (@BornFre68524423) November 29, 2022 If it's true, it's really sad situation Freight charges are fine, but 100rs per 50KG is ridiculous Here in Gurgaon Onions are selling 50-55 rs per KG - Not Fare!! — Sarabjit (@Sarabjit_cse) November 29, 2022 It's inhuman.. Think about the time and efforts invested by the famer.. It justs saddens me.. Wholesaler please have a heart — Ganeshwar Kumar (@Im_Gkay) November 29, 2022 (With inputs from Express News Service, Bengaluru)
