Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told Lok Sabha on Thursday that a shortfall in production by over 15.8 lakh tonnes has led to the spike in onion price.
Replying to a discussion on crop loss and its impact on farmers, Tomar said States had given an estimate of about production of over 69.9 lakh tonnes of onion by November 30 in this season but the actual production is likely to be 53.67 lakh tonnes.
“There is definitely a shortage of onions...The current problem (price rise) is due to this. And this is natural. Our Government has taken several measures, including banning its export and allowing import,” he said, adding the Government is serious in dealing this issue. Reacting to TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee’s query, Tomar quipped he ate onions.
“You then belong to our group,” said Banerjee amid laughter in the House.
During a discussion in the House earlier, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said she came from a family where onion and garlic are not consumed.
Though her retort was in response to a barb from an Opposition member, her response had triggered some sarcastic and critical response from Opposition members later.
Speaking on other farmer-related issues, Tomar said the Government is working to make the ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna’ more beneficial for farmers. He, however, asserted that its outcome has been “very satisfactory” and added that over 80 per cent claims made under the scheme have been accepted. Speaking about the Swaminathan Committee report, he said of the 201 recommendations, 200 have been accepted.
One of the recommendations of commission was that MSP should be at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production.
Earlier, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of the Congress attacked the Government, alleging it works for traders, not farmers. He claimed that poverty has doubled under the BJP-led NDA Government. India’s economy will not change unless the situation of farmers does, Chowdhury said.