Maharashtra: Farmer travels 70 km to sell 512 kg onions, receives a cheque for Rs 2

PTI, Feb 24, 2023, 2:53 PM IST

Maharashtra:  A 58-year-old onion farmer from the Barshi taluka in the Solapur district named Rajendra Tukaram Chavan recently traveled 70 kilometres to the Solapur APMC to auction off 512 kg of his harvest. He was able to get merely Rs 1 per kg for the produce.

Chavan received payment in the form of a post-dated cheque for Rs 2, which he will only be able to cash in after 15 days, leaving him with a net profit of just Rs. 2.49 after all deductions. Due to the fact that bank transactions are frequently in round numbers, the 49 paise balance was not represented in the cheque.

“For the onions, I received Re 1 per kilogram. From the total of Rs 512, the APMC dealer further deducted Rs 509.50 for transportation costs, head-loading fees, and weighing fees.”

Chavan expressed his disappointment while mentioning that he had made Rs 20 per kilogram the previous year.
“In the last three to four years, the cost of seeds, fertilizer, and insecticides has risen. This time, I invested approximately Rs 40,000 to raise only about 500kg of onions ” he added.

The trader who purchased the onions from Chavan at the Solapur APMC, Nasir Khalifa, explained the reasoning behind writing a post-dated cheque for Rs 2.

“The procedure of issuing cheques and receipts has been computerized. Hence, Chavan received a post-dated cheque. It doesn’t matter how much money is on the cheque, this is standard procedure. We have previously already written cheques for such little sums,” he said.

“Low-quality onions were offered for auction. Earlier, Chavan had brought premium onions, which were priced at Rs 18 per kg. Then, he delivered another batch, selling it for Rs. 14 per kg. Onions of poor quality are typically not in demand, ” Khalifa added.