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Onions entering rootlike markets successful Bengaluru successful caller days are covered with achromatic fungus oregon mould, arsenic untimely rains deed respective regions earlier the southwest monsoon acceptable in. This has besides led to specified onions being sold astatine little rates. While unaffected onions are being sold astatine ₹20 to 25 per kg, those affected by fungus are being sold for ₹15.
Karnataka’s yearly mean accumulation of onions is much than 2 cardinal tonnes, but rains play an important relation successful cultivation. According to horticulture section officials, past twelvemonth onions were grown connected 1,52,000 hectares successful the State, and each twelvemonth the fig of growers is expanding arsenic they get returns wrong 3 to 4 months, dissimilar different crops.
K. Dhanraj, Joint Director of Horticulture (Vegetables), explained, “Black mould connected onions is simply a post-harvest illness that is astir prevalent during the rainy season, erstwhile determination is higher humidity successful the atmosphere, particularly successful Bengaluru. It is popularly known arsenic Aspergillus niger. This post-harvest illness is seen successful the Kharif harvest of onions. During the Rabi season, the harvest undergoes a process of curing erstwhile upwind conditions are favourable, which helps adust the outer tegument and prevents fungal maturation during semipermanent storage.”
He added, “Such post-harvest diseases are not seen successful adust upwind conditions. Farmers marque the astir of adust upwind and sunlight by spreading the onions. However, successful rain-affected regions, fungal blight develops connected the onions, and they besides statesman to rot from the inside. At present, successful places similar Challakere and Hosadurga, farmers person started sowing seeds for bulb cultivation aft the State received a fewer days of rainfall and the ungraded became softer. Districts similar Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Gadag, and Koppal, among others, are known for increasing onions.”
Mr. Dhanraj advised that farmers should support ventilated retention facilities with a minimum country somesthesia of 10°C. “Since it is some a Kharif and Rabi crop, the sowing play for the Kharif harvest successful Karnataka is successful June, and it is harvested by the extremity of September. The sowing play for Rabi bulb is successful October and it is harvested by the extremity of January oregon the opening of February. The curing process usually takes 14 to 20 days aft harvesting. Fungus appears if onions are harvested and packed wrong a time oregon 2 without capable clip for curing, but it develops gradually,” helium added.
Meanwhile, Shalini M., subordinate professor, Department of Horticulture, said, “Such onions successful the marketplace person go much prevalent since aboriginal 2025 successful rain-affected parts of Karnataka, arsenic determination is higher humidity successful the atmosphere. The output is obtained 90 to 110 days aft sowing, depending connected the assortment of onion. However, aft harvest, onions request to acquisition the curing process, which means they indispensable beryllium near either successful the fields oregon successful a ample country to adust well. In galore instances, erstwhile farmers get bully prices, they harvest onions and merchantability them to traders without curing. In specified cases, achromatic mould develops erstwhile they are stored successful warehouses.”
The traders besides highlighted however the debased prime of onions successful the marketplace impacts the terms of onions. B. Ravishankar, secretary, Bangalore Onion and Potato Merchants Association, said, “Consumers bargain erstwhile specified onions are seen successful the market. It is simply a nonaccomplishment to some traders and farmers. The terms of onions starts from ₹5 and the premium prime ones outgo betwixt ₹25-30.”
He besides highlighted however farmers successful States specified arsenic Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra make due retention facilities. “They plan robust mesh structures and hole tiny fans wrong them to forestall humidity. They besides person subsidies from the State authorities for creating specified retention units. In Karnataka, too, the authorities provides subsidies for specified initiatives, but less farmers marque usage of them. On immoderate fixed day, each husbandman successful Maharashtra volition person 20 to 50 bags of onions stocked to merchantability successful the marketplace erstwhile crops successful Karnataka neglect owed to rainfall and prices automatically emergence — sometimes to arsenic precocious arsenic ₹150 per kg,” helium added.
Veeran Gowda Patil, an bulb husbandman successful Navalgund, said, “Due to the anticipation of rain, farmers harvest onions adjacent earlier they mature and merchantability them. That is wherefore fungus appears connected onions. We haven’t seen specified post-harvest diseases successful onions successful the bluish parts of Karnataka, but that they rot from wrong erstwhile they travel successful interaction with water. In specified instances, we don’t gain adjacent fractional the existent terms for onions successful the market.”
