DINDIGUL: A drop in the procurement prices of tomato to Rs 10 per kilogramme from Rs 30-35 kilogramme (wholesale price) has come in as a shocker for the farmers of Dindigul and Madurai districts, as the retail prices of tomatoes hovers between Rs 15 and Rs 20 per kilogram in the market. According to farmers, the procurement prices have been crashing due to huge produce arrivals from Udumalaipet for the past few days.
"I have acres of the tomato farm in Ottanchatram. As the tomatoes are procured and sold in Ottanchatram market, we are forced to face the price drop. There are four qualities of tomatoes and based on the quality, price are fixed between Rs 100-Rs 200 per box (15 kg). Owing to the Aadi month, no religious festivals are being organised, and there is no major procurement by catering companies and hotels as well," said Soundar, a tomato farmer from Ottanchatram.
Speaking to TNIE, Mohammed Sadiq, a wholesale trader from Oddanchatram vegetable market said, "The current wholesale price of tomato starts from Rs 150 per box. Last week, the price ranged from Rs 500- Rs 600 per box and last month, it was hovering around Rs 700-Rs 800 per box. Local traders and retailers have procured more tomatoes in the past few days. We believe the retail price will be around Rs 10-Rs 12 per kg based on the size and quality of the tomatoes."
K Akbar, another tomato trader said, "The arrival of tomatoes was around 10,000 boxes per day in Ottanchatram market last month. However, there has been a big jump in the arrival now, as around 50,000 boxes of tomatoes are arriving daily. This is mostly from Ottanchantram and other surrounding areas of Dindigul. Besides, large trucks from Udumalaipet taluk from Tiruppur have also started coming to the market. We expect more such arrivals in the upcoming days as harvest has begun in all parts of the farmlands."
Meanwhile, an official from the horticulture department termed the price drop as temporary and advised the farmers not to panic. "The prices will stabilise within a few weeks and also increase once there is less inflow. We should realise that the rise and fall of the prices is a part of the vegetable trade cycle. Besides, Ottanchatram market receives vegetables from all parts of southern Tamil Nadu. Hence, the prices will change as per the arrival of produce," the official added.