Rashmi Belur By

BENGALURU: Onion farmers are bearing the brunt of the Cauvery agitation. Unable to transport onions to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka now has more supply than demand, leading to a drastic fall in prices. At the APMC Yard in Yeshwantpur, one of the biggest yards in the state, traders are selling onions for just `1 per kg.

Protests over releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu have hit the trade of onions, foodgrains and other essential commodities between the two states.

According to traders in the APMC Yard, Tamil Nadu is the main buyer of onion and garlic produced in Karnataka. Tamil Nadu buys 150 to 200 truckloads of onions every day from Karnataka.

Paramesh, president of State APMC Yard Workers Union, told Express, “Since this is one of the biggest yards in the state, usually, there are 10 to 15 lakh people here every day. But ever since the Cauvery agitation started, the number of people has come down by 30 per cent.”

According to traders in the market, onion is the worst hit. “Onions have a short shelf life. Since the protests started, the onions that were in stock have started to rot. So we are selling them at `1 per kilo. Good quality onions cost `6 to `8 per kg.”

Nandeesha, a trader at APMC Yard, said, “Some of our truck drivers are stuck midway and are forced to throw away the rotting onions.”

The rice market is also affected to a great extent. According to the traders, Karnataka sends some 200 to 250 truckloads of rice to Tamil Nadu daily.

“Though we are ready to send the load, the drivers are scared to cross the border. So we are stocking it up and will send it once the situation is normal,” rice merchant Shivanna said.