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Home | Agri Ministry recommends farm gate prices for onion and Irish potato
In an effort to ensure that farmers receive a fair return on their investment while consumers benefit from stable prices, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is recommending farm gate prices of $190 per kilogramme ($90lb) and $176 per kilogramme ($80lb) for onions and Irish potatoes, respectively.
This recommendation comes against the background of the ongoing price increases across all sectors, including food and agricultural inputs, and is based on an analysis conducted by the Ministry on the production costs for both crops.
Currently, both crops are being harvested and it is expected that peak production will be achieved within a couple of weeks and maintained into March 2022.
A total of 370 farmers are currently involved in the growth of 190 hectares of onion for the October to February planting season while some 620 hectares of Irish potatoes have been planted by 2,220 farmers.
Onion and Irish potato are two of nine targeted priority crops under the Ministry's Production Incentive Programme, which is aimed at increasing and sustaining agricultural production to meet market demand. Other crops such as yams, ginger, dasheen, hot pepper, strawberry and cassava are also being targeted for development.
