Reading Comprehension – Test 164

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the questions out of five alternatives. <br><br> Onions have a propensity to make people shed tears, not just with their pungent vapours but with their prices as well. Ever since the incumbent Delhi government was ousted in 1998 by popular outrage over a spurt in onion prices, politicians have been wary of this vegetable. The political response should solve, not structurally worsen, the problem that lies at the root of the occasional shortage of the vegetable. The ban on export of onions that the central government has imposed follows in a traditional rut and ignores the need for the farmer to get better terms of trade, paving the way for future shortage. <br><br> Onion is a relatively small crop, a little over 15 million tonnes in India. China cultivates a lower area, but is the world's largest producer, because its yield is about half as much higher than in India. Pakistan and Bangladesh too produce onion, but are similarly placed as India, vulnerable to sudden shortages and price spurts. Right now, Bangladesh is very unhappy with India's export ban, because that has worsened the shortage there. Sudden export bans shut off the possibility of the farmer getting a bumper price for his crop, something that he feels he is entitled to, as the obverse of the distress sale he often has to undertake. The sensible course is proper storage at times of harvest and steady decumulation of stocks over the year. This will not help, however, in case of a sudden shortfall in output, thanks to flooding or unseasonal rains, as has happened this year. <br><br> Instead of banning exports, the government should encourage export of onion in its raw and processed forms, investing in food technology that would permit farmers to increase output without fear of distress sales, onion offtake assured because of its storage in a processed state.

Politicians have been cautious about onion because-

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the questions out of five alternatives. <br><br> Onions have a propensity to make people shed tears, not just with their pungent vapours but with their prices as well. Ever since the incumbent Delhi government was ousted in 1998 by popular outrage over a spurt in onion prices, politicians have been wary of this vegetable. The political response should solve, not structurally worsen, the problem that lies at the root of the occasional shortage of the vegetable. The ban on export of onions that the central government has imposed follows in a traditional rut and ignores the need for the farmer to get better terms of trade, paving the way for future shortage. <br><br> Onion is a relatively small crop, a little over 15 million tonnes in India. China cultivates a lower area, but is the world's largest producer, because its yield is about half as much higher than in India. Pakistan and Bangladesh too produce onion, but are similarly placed as India, vulnerable to sudden shortages and price spurts. Right now, Bangladesh is very unhappy with India's export ban, because that has worsened the shortage there. Sudden export bans shut off the possibility of the farmer getting a bumper price for his crop, something that he feels he is entitled to, as the obverse of the distress sale he often has to undertake. The sensible course is proper storage at times of harvest and steady decumulation of stocks over the year. This will not help, however, in case of a sudden shortfall in output, thanks to flooding or unseasonal rains, as has happened this year. <br><br> Instead of banning exports, the government should encourage export of onion in its raw and processed forms, investing in food technology that would permit farmers to increase output without fear of distress sales, onion offtake assured because of its storage in a processed state.

Which of the following statement is true regarding the passage?

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the questions out of five alternatives. <br><br> Onions have a propensity to make people shed tears, not just with their pungent vapours but with their prices as well. Ever since the incumbent Delhi government was ousted in 1998 by popular outrage over a spurt in onion prices, politicians have been wary of this vegetable. The political response should solve, not structurally worsen, the problem that lies at the root of the occasional shortage of the vegetable. The ban on export of onions that the central government has imposed follows in a traditional rut and ignores the need for the farmer to get better terms of trade, paving the way for future shortage. <br><br> Onion is a relatively small crop, a little over 15 million tonnes in India. China cultivates a lower area, but is the world's largest producer, because its yield is about half as much higher than in India. Pakistan and Bangladesh too produce onion, but are similarly placed as India, vulnerable to sudden shortages and price spurts. Right now, Bangladesh is very unhappy with India's export ban, because that has worsened the shortage there. Sudden export bans shut off the possibility of the farmer getting a bumper price for his crop, something that he feels he is entitled to, as the obverse of the distress sale he often has to undertake. The sensible course is proper storage at times of harvest and steady decumulation of stocks over the year. This will not help, however, in case of a sudden shortfall in output, thanks to flooding or unseasonal rains, as has happened this year. <br><br> Instead of banning exports, the government should encourage export of onion in its raw and processed forms, investing in food technology that would permit farmers to increase output without fear of distress sales, onion offtake assured because of its storage in a processed state.

What can be a good solution for sudden shortfall of onions?