BERHAMPUR: Tomato growers of Aska, Dharakote and Sorada areas in Ganjam are facing severe losses as tonnes of their produce rot in fields due to the absence of cold storage facilities.
With no means to preserve or market their produce, farmers are reportedly abandoning large quantities of tomatoes, cultivated across hundreds of acres, in the fields.
Sources said the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) had advised the local production groups to coordinate with the processing companies for bulk procurement of tomatoes. However, farmers alleged that no significant initiative has been taken at the block level to address the crisis.
They claimed that local traders are unwilling to buy tomatoes even at `1 per kg. As a result, ripe tomatoes are falling to the ground and rotting. The situation is particularly alarming in Karnali village under Aska block, where hundreds of farmers have cultivated tomatoes in nearly 150 acre of land.
“From taking loans to nurturing the crop day and night, entire families depend on tomato cultivation. But now, when it is time to sell, there is no market,” said a distressed farmer.
With no buyers and plummeting prices, tomato growers are reeling under heavy losses. The crisis has not only caused financial strain but also emotional distress among farmers, many of whom are struggling to repay loans and sustain their livelihoods.
The affected farmers demanded immediate establishment of cold storage facilities in the region, along with better market linkages and government intervention to prevent such recurring losses.
On Tuesday, block horticulture officer Rakesh Roshan Behera visited the tomato fields and assessed the situation. He said the higher authorities have been apprised of the situation with a request for an immediate solution. The issue was discussed with ORMAS officials who have expressed willingness to procure tomatoes at a nominal rate of `5-6 per kg, provided the farmers supply the produce in plastic bags.
Ganjam collector V Keerthi Vasan said he has directed ORMAS officials to initiate immediate measures. He also assured to arrange storage for vegetables cultivated by farmers in areas which lack such facilities.
Last week, Vasan had facilitated procurement of tomatoes grown in Chhatrapur sub-division through ORMAS to save the local farmers from distress sale.