A farmer from Gadag in north Karnataka travelled 415 kilometres to Bengaluru's Yeshwantpur market and received Rs. 8.36 for 205 kg of onions. The bill of the transaction went viral all over the internet.
The New Indian Express has named the farmer as Pawadeppa Hallikeri. The onion distributor priced at Rs. 200 per quintal, took off 377 for freight, and added Rs. 24 more for porter fees, bringing the total to Rs. 8.36. The discouraged farmer posted about his situation online and advised other farmers to stay away from selling their harvest in the Karnataka capital.
The incident astounded online users. “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 ₹8.36 for 205 kg!”
To get the government to declare a minimum support price (MSP) for their harvest, farmers from the north Karnataka district are now considering protesting. This year, Gadag has also seen a significant amount of rain, which has caused crop damage and reduced the size of the onions. Disappointed with the costs, Pawadeppa disclosed to the media that he spent more than Rs. 25,000 to produce the crop and carry it to the state capital.
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Netizens reacted to the tweet:
One of the users commented, “Really shocking without farmers we are nothing Is this the rate that has to be offered to them Is the Government sleeping.”
“This is so sad - how can dealers, government and ministers sleep at night fleecing hard-working farmers,” wrote another user.
Another user commented, “If possible go and help the farmers....or buy from them.....”
