KURNOOL: The wholesale price of tomatoes has crashed to a new low of 50 paise per kg in Pathikonda and Alur markets, shattering the hopes of farmers hoping for a windfall following a bumper crop.
Several farmers dumped their tomatoes on roads as taking them back was a foolish proposition and selling them for 50 paise per kg was as good as giving it for free.
Farmers in Pathikonda and Aluru grow tomatoes in thousands of acres annually. This year too, they raised the crop in nearly 18,000 hectares by investing a fortune hoping that they would be able to take home a decent amount as profit. The investment ranges between `20,000 and `30,000 per acre including the cost of fertilisers and wages of labourers. Balaraju, a farmer from Aspari village, said, “I grew tomatoes in four acres by investing `1.2 lakh. I brought the crop to Pathikonda market yard by hiring tractors. After reaching here, I was shocked to hear that the price has crashed. I know it is the mischief played by middlemen.”
Balaraju laments that if he sells the crop at 50 paise per kg, he won’t be able to repay his debts or support his family. “This is the second major calamity for us. Earlier, the same thing happened with onions. Now it is tomatoes. The government should intervene and save farmers like me,” he said, adding that the price has to be above `5 per kg for him to pay back the debts.
Masoom Basha, a farmer from Pathikonda is at his wits’ end. “I cultivated tomatoes in 25 acres. This year the crop was very good and I expected to make a very good profit. We have invested `20, 000 to `25, 000 per acre excluding transportation charges. If the government does not intervene, we may have to commit suicide,” he said.
Farmers and Agriculture Labourers Union district president K Jagannatham said this was not the first time that the prices of tomatoes had crashed. It is an annual phenomenon. Despite agitations for setting up a pulp factory to help tomato farmers, the government has not yet acted. The government has failed to lend a helping hand to farmers when the price of onions nosedived recently.
Horticulture Officer A Raghunath Reddy said the crop being raised was not suitable to create pulp. “The variety is not a pulpy one and it cannot be stored for a long time. The fruit will perish in a week if stored,” he said.