KURNOOL: Farmers in Kurnool district are grappling with a severe market slump as prices for tomatoes and onions have crashed to historic lows, forcing many to abandon their crops or dump them on roadsides in desperation.
The crisis has left farmers, who invested heavily in cultivation, facing significant financial losses and emotional distress.
At Pathikonda Market Yard, one of Andhra Pradesh’s largest tomato trading hubs, tomato prices have plummeted to Rs 5-8 per kg in wholesale markets, down from Rs 20 per kg last week.
Market arrivals surged from 10 quintals in late August to 40 tonnes on Sunday, driven by oversupply, low-quality produce due to recent rains, and reduced export demand to states like Karnataka, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
Farmers, who invested Rs 35,000-50,000 per acre across 6,500 hectares, are now selling at a loss or abandoning crops altogether.
Ramanjaneyulu from Belagal mandal, who spent Rs 1.5 lakh over four months, destroyed his tomato crop with a tractor, unable to justify transport costs.
Another farmer from Devanakonda discarded his produce in a bin near Pathikonda market on Saturday, lamenting, “We’re watching our hard work rot.”
Onion farmers are facing a similar plight, with wholesale prices at Kurnool Agricultural Market Yard dropping to Rs 300 per quintal from Rs 2,000 last month. Daily arrivals exceeding 1,000 quintals, coupled with poor quality and lack of export demand, have flooded the market.
Boya Ponnakallu Naidu from Guduru shared that his brother-in-law abandoned 75 quintals of onions last week due to no buyers, while he managed to sell at the state’s Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 1,200 per quintal. “It’s like clinging to a piece of wood while drowning-it’s not enough,” Naidu said.
Stabilisation of prices sought
The State’s MSP scheme, implemented by MARKFED, has procured over 20,000 quintals of onions since August 31, offering some relief. Kurnool market yard secretary R Jaya Lakshmi urged farmers to grade produce properly and avoid premature harvesting. On September 13 and 14, 1,500 metric tonnes of MSP-procured onions were auctioned to traders at prices ranging from Rs 30 to Rs 900 per quintal.
However, farmers are not in a position to grade the onions, let alone transport them to market, due to the damage done to the crop and the low-quality yield.
Farmers are demanding stronger government intervention, including better procurement systems, tomato processing units, and long-term strategies to stabilise prices and prevent distress.