ADILABAD: The vegetable cultivation area has been steadily shrinking over the past few years in the erstwhile Adilabad district, with farmers shifting nearly 40% of their vegetable acreage towards maize and other crops that require less investment and fewer labourers. Many say labour shortages, rising input costs and recurring losses have made vegetable farming increasingly unviable.
Tomato farmers, in particular, suffered heavy losses this year due to torrential rains that destroyed large portions of the crop. Farmers who previously earned returns of Rs 25,000–Rs 30,000 per acre last year lost their entire investment this season.
Boyar Dulaji, a farmer from Dhanora village, said he had cultivated tomatoes on his one-acre plot by investing Rs 50,000 but the crop was completely damaged by heavy rains.
Last year, he harvested around 400 crates of tomatoes and earned reasonable returns, but this season he is clearing the damaged plants to prepare for Rabi. He said horticulture officials inspected the crop and informed him that the government would provide 25% compensation, but he has not received anything yet. He added that farmers receive little encouragement for vegetable cultivation from the department.
Another farmer, Ramu, also said his tomato crop was ruined by excess rainfall and he failed to get the expected yield. He plans to switch to other commercial crops for the Rabi season.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, about 25,000 acres were under vegetable cultivation in the region. The area declined gradually after the pandemic. Indervelli and Gudihatnoor mandals, once major tomato-producing zones supplying Bengaluru and New Delhi, have seen a steady drop.
Farmers cite several reasons: increased labour costs, shortage of workers, preference for MSP-based crops that require lower investment, reduced interest among younger generations, increased tenancy, rising land rents and declining supervision on large farms.
Farmers say the government should encourage vegetable cultivation via subsidised schemes and strengthen Farmer Producer Organisations to improve production and marketing. They stress the need for better infrastructure, post-harvest facilities and a balanced producer–vendor–consumer chain to prevent distress sales during gluts.
Officials are also being urged to guide farmers to take up year-round vegetable cultivation, which offers multiple harvests and better price prospects.