Kurnool: After years of significant losses, onion farmers in Kurnool district are finally enjoying a profitable season, thanks to favourable prices and robust demand, including exports to other states and countries. This year, onions were cultivated across 17,761 hectares in the district during the Kharif season, yielding an estimated 30 lakh quintals, according to officials.
“Farmers have supplied onions to markets in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka, and beyond,” said trader Ramamohan from Kurnool. He added that the strong flavour of Kurnool onions has attracted international buyers for use in pharmaceuticals and by-products.
The Kurnool market yard alone received 4.81 lakh quintals of onions by October, a sharp increase compared to last year’s 52,000 quintals. Despite the surge in supply, prices have remained high, with onions fetching between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 per quintal. Some premium stocks from neighbouring Telangana even sold for as much as Rs 5,100 per quintal. Farmers, who have struggled with low prices in recent years, are now expressing optimism.
The market yard has been bustling with abundant stocks, including onions from Telangana’s Gadwal region. Officials noted that while onion productivity has steadily increased over the years, it is this year’s high prices that have significantly boosted farmers' earnings. In comparison, 3.76 lakh quintals were sold in the 2020-21 season, rising to 4.41 lakh quintals in 2023-24, and 4.81 lakh quintals so far in 2024-25.
Marketing officials reported that 4.80 lakh quintals of onions have been sold in the Kurnool market from April to October this year, with an additional 1–2 lakh quintals expected to be sold by the season’s end in March 2025. Interestingly, only 25 per cent of the produce reaches the market yard for sale, while 30 to 40 per cent is sold directly in the fields to traders and brokers. Local consumption accounts for just 5 to 6 per cent of the total production, with the remainder sent to other states or exported internationally.
“I cultivated onions on five acres and earned good profits this year. We hope this trend continues, as low prices in previous years caused severe losses,” said farmer K. Ranga Reddy from Adoni.
