Dharwad, Oct. 9 -- A wave of anger is sweeping across Karnataka's onion-growing districts as farmers accuse the government of abandoning them after crop losses and a drastic price crash.
Onion growers in Dharwad, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and surrounding taluks say they have suffered severe financial setbacks this year, with no adequate compensation or export permission (known locally as 'passport') from the government to help them recover.
Farmers say continuous rains damaged the crop, and prices have now fallen to as low as Rs 100-200 per quintal in local APMC markets, while the cost of production has crossed Rs 350-400 per quintal. "Every sack we send to the market gives us a loss of at least Rs 200. There is absolutely no profit this year...