Onion scarcity looms large as dry spell continue

The State is poised for a severe crisis in vegetable cultivation, of onion in particular, if the present dry spell continues for just another week or ten days. Vegetables would become scarce and dear then, making it difficult for the common man to buy them.

The onion crop is bound to start withering if the dry spell continues, says a horticultural officer on the condition of anonymity. The scarcity of onions occurred last a few years ago during the NDA regime.

Onion is cultivated most in Kurnool district.

Of the total extent of around 35,000 hectares under onion cultivation in the State, Kurnool accounts for nearly a third _ 10,000 to 11,000 hectares. Nearly 30 per cent of the crop in the district is rain-fed, which means that the crop will be lost if it does not rain early on. In the other areas, around 45 per cent is cultivated with water from borewells. The depleting levels of ground water thanks to the severe summer and a very bad monsoon make that prospect also look bleak.

The onion crop area in the district, according to the horticultural department official, has shrunk by nearly 1,500 hectares. The crop in Kurnool Rural and Kallur mandals, and in surrounding areas has been affected the most.

Medak, Mahaboobnagar and Srikakaulam districts make up most of the remaining area under onion crop in the State. Of that, close to 20 per cent is rain-fed and about 80 per cent is served by borewells. ``The size of the bulb (onion bulb) in most areas will shrink considerably and the crop may even become damaged if the monsoon eludes the State for another ten days,'' says an official in Hyderabad.

"The temperature might play spoilsport as high temparatures could be detrimental to the crop as the inner parts of the onion bulb will decompose even while the crop is standing,'' says another official.

The government's target of 16,000 hectares of onion crop in Kharif has reduced by 900 hectares to around 15,100.

In the case of tomato, too, the scenario is not encouraging though not alrming. The crop, in most places, is getting ready for harvesting in another 10 days. Chittor district is the major market for the luscious fruit. According to market nalysts, tomato is likely to be sold at Rs 20 a kilo at the farm and the price it may command in the market is anybody's guess.

Other vegetables whose cultivation are likely to be affected by the delayed monsoon are lady's fingers, bottle gourd, chillis and others.

Lady's fingers are cultivated in around 500 hectares in Khammam district. This crop also faces the prospect of drying up if it does not rain in the next few days.

According to an estimate, the State needs, on an average, close to 2 crore tonnes of vegetables a month _ around 9 lakh tones per district. But with many parts of the country and most parts of the State reeling under a continued dry spell, the production is likely to come down at least by 20 percent, which translated into volume, would be around 40 lakh tonnes.
Source: www.expressbuzz.com