Chitwan. Onions produced in the district have not been able to get proper price. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has failed to get a fair price for onion planted under the Commercial Onion Promotion Program under the Prime Minister’s Agricultural Modernization Project.
Some farmers have been forced to sell onions at cheaper rates as they have not been able to get the price due to the production of onions planted in the three municipalities. Baburam Dhamala, a farmer of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-21, has been forced to store onions in sacks without getting the market price. “I have produced 18 quintals of onions. But i couldn’t get the price in the market. He said that he was forced to keep it in sacks for the last one month due to lack of price in the market. Dhamala said the traders have been demanding onions at less than Rs 25 per kg. He informed that the plan is to sell after getting a fair price as the cost price will not be raised.
Geeta Ranabhat of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-25 said they were forced to sell onions at Rs 20-30 per kg. “We have been forced to sell it cheaply as there is a problem in storing it,” he said. The programme has been implemented through 22 groups, cooperatives and firms in the district. Information Officer at the Office, Rabi Kiran Adhikari, said that the onion produced in these firms could not get the market price. “Around 120 tonnes of onion has been produced in 12 hectares of land in Chitwan. It was difficult to find a market here. ’
According to him, the price of onions produced here is less than imported onions, the grain of onion here is small and fluffy, so the onion produced here has not been able to get market and price. Stating that the program has been organized to reduce the import of onion in Nepal, the Information Officer said that if it can be stored, it can be found in the market at a reasonable price at other times.
He added, “At present, no businessman from the vegetable market has agreed to buy Nepali onions. He said that due to lack of sale of onions, problems like rotting and growing have started to appear. According to the official, work is underway to prepare a plan in the next year’s program to solve the problems seen now.
The program was organized in Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Khairhani Municipality and Rapti Municipality. Red creole and 53 varieties of Nashik varieties of onions have been used for commercial cultivation at the place where the programme was implemented.
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