DINDIGUL/DHARMAPURI/TIRUCHY: With tomato prices crashing to as low as Rs 7 per kilogram in parts of Dindigul and Dharmapuri, farmers have begun halting harvest operations, citing heavy losses and rising labour costs.
Farmers said prices have dropped sharply over the past two weeks due to a surge in arrivals from within Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states, making harvesting economically unviable. As a result, many are leaving ripe produce unpicked in the fields.
Speaking to TNIE, K Vadivel, president of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association (Dindigul), said the price for a 14-kg box has fallen to Rs 100–Rs 150. “With labourers demanding Rs 400 per day, continuing harvest makes no sense. In many fields, plucking has stopped,” he said.
D Prabhu (38), a farmer from Kallimandayam, said he had expanded cultivation expecting stable returns. “For two months, I harvested around 20 boxes daily and prices were Rs 400–Rs 600 per box. Now, due to excess supply, prices have dropped to Rs 7–Rs 10 per kg,” he said, adding that labour costs of about Rs 80 per box have worsened losses.
In Dharmapuri, S Chinnasamy from Palacode said prices have slightly improved to Rs 13–Rs 15 per kg due to reduced arrivals after recent rains, though volatility persists.
In Tiruchy’s Marungapuri block, farmers have also stopped harvesting. VP Kannadasan said costs of around Rs 3,000 per acre for plucking and transport far exceed returns, leaving crops abandoned.