KURNOOL: Amid inflated onion prices, Kurnool farmers are a worried lot as tomato prices on Sunday crashed to as low as 50 paise per kg in Pathikonda and Alur wholesale markets, thanks to bumper harvest and low demand.
The growers, who brought their produce to the market yards on the day, were shocked to learn the steep fall in the prices and dumped the crop on the road. The crop is cultivated in thousands of hectares in Pathikonda and Alur every Kharif and Rabi seasons.
This year, it was cultivated in nearly 8,000 hectares.
Every tomato farmer invests Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per acre, including on fertilisers and farmhands. As the crop takes 10 months to yield, crop harvesting is done at least 10 times every crop season.
From the first four harvests, they usually get Rs 25 to Rs 40 per kg at wholesale markets. The price decreases in subsequent harvests.
Without government intervention, the price may dip further to 20 paise per kg by January, farmers feared.
“Bumper harvest is the main cause of decreasing rates of tomato crop. Also, this crop does not have a long shelf life. Tomatoes are regularly exported to Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra from here,” officials said.
Mangali Ramakrishna, a farmer from Gadderalla in Devanakonda mandal, said he cultivated the crop in an extent of five acres by investing Rs 1.5 lakh.
“After harvesting, the produce was transported to Pathikonda agriculture market in rented tractors. Upon reaching the market, middlemen said the prices have dipped to 50 paise per kg. If I sell the produce at the price quoted by middlemen, I will not be left with any money to repay debts,” he rued.
Ramakrishna urged the government to intervene and help the farmers get a marginal price of Rs 10 to Rs 15 per kg.
Another farmer, P Naveen Gupta from Devanakonda mandal, said he had cultivated tomato in an extent of 10 acres. “This year, the yield was high compared to last year,” he said.