ANANTAPUR: Tomato farmers in the district are facing hardships with the sharp fall in market prices and are unable to plough back even input cultivation and transport costs.
In the market yard at Kakkalapalli on the outskirts, the price has fallen from Rs 10 to Rs 3 per kg, and the distressed farmers are leaving large quantities of their produce unsold at the yard itself.
Market arrivals, which usually range between one lakh and two lakh boxes during the peak season, have now dropped to around 20,000 boxes per day. Each box, weighing between 12 and 24 kgs, is currently priced between Rs 30 and Rs 60.
Farmers say the returns are insufficient to meet labour charges, transport expenses and commission payments, forcing many to halt harvesting operations. The market yard has been receiving 500 to 800 tonnes of tomatoes daily in recent weeks.
However, with prices continuing to fall, farmers are reluctant to bring their produce to the market.
Several growers have reportedly left the crop unharvested in their fields, allowing cattle to graze on it to avoid further losses. Sri SatyaSai District Horticulture Officer G Chandrasekhar stated that the rabi crop is in its final stage, and the decline in quality has contributed to the fall in prices.
Though better rates are being reported in some other districts, prices in Anantapur are being determined strictly based on quality.
In a limited intervention, the marketing department
procured tomatoes at Rs 5 per kg and supplied them to a few districts.
However, exporters have shown little interest in purchasing tomatoes from the district, further affecting trade.
K Hanumantha Rayudu, a farmer from Kurlapalli Village in Kalyandurg mandal, said he cultivated tomatoes on 15 acres, investing nearly Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh.
With exports stalled and local demand weak, the tomato trade in the district has nearly come to a standstill, leaving farmers burdened with heavy financial losses.