CHENNAI: Close to two months after reaching for the stars, the price of tomatoes in wholesale markets across the state has witnessed a steady decline. The wholesale price of one kg of tomato stood at `30 in Koyambedu Market on Tuesday.
Traders in the Koyambedu market said the arrival of tomatoes from parts of Udumalaipet and Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka increased over the last week resulting in a dip in wholesale and retail prices. Tomatoes are sold anywhere from Rs 35 - 40 at retail markets in the state.
Traders sought a mechanism to ensure that farmers are not affected as prices are expected to dip further with an increase in arrivals. “When the price increases, the farmer gets benefitted. But when the price declines, small farmers are affected the most,” said M Thiagarajan, president of Koyambedu Vegetable, Fruits and Flower Sellers’ Welfare Association.
“Arrival of tomatoes from places in Yesvantpur in Karnataka increased over the past few days. When the price surges, the government intervenes to buy vegetables from farmers and sell them to consumers at reasonable prices. But when price declines there is no institutional support. Tamil Nadu is seeing a steady decline in tomato cultivation and our dependency on neighbouring states has increased over the years. The state government should buy from farmers when prices fall sharply,” he added.