Amid the shortage of onions and their rising prices in the country, one village in rain-starved Bundelkhand has struggled to store its bumper crop.
At Jakhni, a village in the Mahua block of Banda district, 40 farmers have grown 2,000 quintal of onions. The village of 2,615 people has 250 farmers.
Farmers were unable to transport their crop to Delhi or Lucknow because of the lockdown. The non-availability of storage facilities in their immediate vicinity also meant that they could not stock the crop safely. Thus, they were forced to sell most of their crop in Banda for Rs 12-13 per kilogram. This is a loss of Rs 5 per kilogram compared to the prices their crop fetched last year.
The price of onions has risen to Rs 30-40 in the recent month.
Jakhni’s onion production is of significance as the crop is not widely grown in Bundelkhand.
Onions have wide adaptability and can grow in a variety of light and heavy soils. However, they require a steady supply of water throughout their growing period. Bundelkhand is one of the most water-stressed regions in the country. In 2018, the rainfall it received was 9 per cent below normal.
Jakhni is widely recognised as a ‘water village’, for it has come up with a novel, though simple, idea for storing rainwater, which does not naturally percolate in the ground because of Bundelkhand’s rocky terrain. Its efforts have been appreciated by the Jal Shakti ministry.
The farmlands in Jakhni are surrounded by bunds, and these are planted with trees to prevent surface water runoffs.
Two years ago, Banda’s erstwhile district magistrate, Heera Lal, identified enterprising farmers in the district and sent them for training at the Centre for Excellence in Kannauj. This centre draws on the crop-growing expertise of Israel, a country that is the world’s leader in water conservation.
Lal said, “The idea behind it was that crops such as onions, garlics and gram, which are grown by most farmers for household consumption, should contribute to farmers’ income. Throughout the district, I identified farmers with entrepreneurial sparks and sent them for various kinds of training in fisheries, dairy, horticulture, etc. This is under the government’s overarching objective to double farmer incomes.”
His efforts also led to the approval to sanction the setting up of an institute of excellence in Banda.
When Jakhni’s farmers were trained in Kannauj, they also bought high-quality seeds for planting, and this resulted in a robust crop free from bugs, and one that could withstand any weather fluctuations.
The district’s horticulture officer, Parvez Khan, said that while approvals were given for 10 storage centres in the district, only four have been constructed.
“When onions are stored scientifically, the crop loss is 1-2 per cent, but this goes up to 10-12 per cent when traditional methods of storage are used,” he said.
Uma Shankar Pandey, a Jakhni resident who has been at the forefront of the village’s water conservation efforts, said, “While farmers have the capacity to innovate, government support is required to support their efforts. There must be procurement of crops even in regions where they are not widely grown. For instance, NAFED procures onions in Maharashtra but not in our area.”
The farmers of Jakhni are, however, not disheartened by the losses they have faced. Next year, even more farmers are ready to plant the crop.
