Perambalur ryots want night patrol by cops to save shallots after 2,000 kg go missing in a month
TIRUCHY: In an unusual series of thefts recorded in Perambalur, over 2,000 kg of shallots stocked for seeds on the fields went missing in the past 10 days. Farmers, who have been trying to identify the offenders, urged the police to step up patrolling and save their seeds.
They also warned that the impact would be worse in the coming season. Officials in the Perambalur district said that the crop was cultivated in an area of around 8,500 ha and shallots cultivated there are termed to be grade one variety for its fine quality.
In such a backdrop, the acute shortage of shallots in recent days has resulted in a steep price hike. Shallots were sold between Rs 120 and 140, which gradually came down recently. On Monday, the price hit Rs 80 per kg in the retail market as the harvest season has set in. Witnessing the hike, a few farmers, who had stocked shallots for seeds, had sold them while many of them continued to stock the seeds at their respective fields.
However, for the past 10 days, farmers from the district have been facing an unusual theft of large quantities stored on the fields. Sources from Perambalur said that for the past 10 days, there were more than five thefts and over 2,000 kg of shallots has gone missing so far. “For the first time in my knowledge, a large quantity of shallots has gone missing,” said S Ravi, a farmer from Nattarmangalam in Perambalur,
who lost around 3,00 kg on Saturday. Ravi said that shallots farmers in the district generally store their seeds on the fields soon after the harvest and would continue to sow after a break of around 10 days. “But these shallots are lifted by miscreants, who would probably sell this for a higher price,” Ravi said. Meanwhile, on Monday, a stock of 200 kg of shallots seeds belonging to M Rajendran (48), a farmer from Koothanur, went missing. Rajendran said that when he left home in the early hours of Monday and later visited the field, he was shocked to see the stock missing. “If these incidents continue, no farmer would go for cultivation during next season owing to the shortage of seeds. This would certainly impact more on the coming days. Only when the police step up night patrolling, the menace can be controlled,” he said.