A group of farmers from Belagavi submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner following a steep fall in cabbage prices to just 60 paise per kg in north Karnataka, sources said on Thursday.
“Good rainfall last year prompted large-scale vegetable cultivation across northern Karnataka, particularly in Belagavi, Khanapur, and Gokak taluks. This surplus has contributed to the drastic price drop,” said Appasaheb Desai, Belagavi taluk president of the Karnataka Rajya Raira Santa Mattu Hasiru Sene.
On Wednesday, Desai and fellow farmers dumped sacks of cabbage at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in protest.
“Each cabbage sapling costs ₹6 from green nurseries and yields a maximum of 2kg. At current prices, we can’t even cover transportation expenses to reach the markets. The government has failed to safeguard farmers’ interests,” Desai stated.
He added that many farmers have abandoned their crops in the fields, leaving them for livestock, as the cost of harvesting and transportation exceeds potential earnings. “Most of us didn’t harvest as selling at APMCs would result in further losses,” he said.
Satish Patil, a merchant with the state-run APMC, commented: “Wholesale buyers from Bengaluru are picking up cabbage in bulk at ₹1 per kg and selling it in Bengaluru and southern Karnataka for ₹10 to ₹15 per kg. Hoteliers remain the primary buyers.”
