Farmers on alert over onion theft

BHOPAL/NEEMUCH: Farmers in several onion-growing areas of Madhya Pradesh have started keeping a round-the-clock watch on their fields after at least a dozen thefts of the pricey bulbs took place in recent weeks.

The worst hit is the state’s onion belt of Mandsaur. Other districts from where onion thefts has been reported are Dewas and Khandwa.

Madhya Pradesh is the second biggest producer of onion in India, next only to Maharashtra. It contributes about 16% of the country’s onion production, according to official figure. Onion prices have soared since September , exceeding the ~100 per kilogram mark in almost all markets in the country in recent weeks, .

The latest theft of onions took place in Mandsaur. On Tuesday night, thieves struck in the farms of Jagdish Patidar and Dashrath Patidar, dug up the fields and made away with onions worth about ~60,000. “I had thought that given the high price of onion I will earn good money this time and use it for installing a tubewell but my dream has been shattered,” said Jagdish Patidar, who lodged a report with the police on Wednesday

Farmer Jitendra Dhangar’s farm in Richhabachcha village of Mandsaur was targeted by thieves about a fortnight back. “The thieves dug up the field and decamped with about 6.5 quintal onion worth ~30,000,” he said.

Rakesh Kumar , the superintendent of police of Neemuch, where several onion thefts have been reported, said: “Given the thefts of onion, we have alerted Dial 100, gram raksha samitis (village protection councils) and police beat in charge to check such thefts.” On November 28, thieves looted 40 tonnes of onion from a truck in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh. The truck was on its way to Gorakhpur in UP from Nashik in Maharashtra.