Madhya Pradesh to give onions for free

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh government’s decision to bailout onion growing farmers in the state by procuring their produces has cost it dearly.

Unable to dispose of the perishable commodity after procuring them from the farmers at a price of Rs six per kg in May-June, the state government has now decided to offer the bulbs free of cost to consumers, which is estimated to cost the state exchequer Rs 100 crore, officials said on Thursday.

Nearly one third of 10.40 lakh tonnes procured directly from the farmers to prevent the distress sale of the commodity, has already decayed, causing loss to the tune of Rs 30 crore to the state government. Nearly 3.10 lakh tonnes have perished,” an official said.