DHARMAPURI: With Dharmapuri district witnessing another tomato glut this year, farmers have urged the horticulture department to create better awareness about crop rotation and provide detailed data of planted crops in each block to enable them to choose suitable crops other than tomatoes.
It may be noted that the district, one of the largest tomato producers in the state, is facing the seasonal 'tomato glut' as farmers over produced tomatoes to compensate for the water shortage during summer. However, the glut has resulted in tomato procurement prices dropping to Rs 5 to Rs 7 per kg in the wholesale market and Rs 12 per kg in the retail market.
Considering this, farmers have sought the horticulture department to take necessary steps to provide data on the area of crop cultivated in each block every month, so that they can plan ahead and choose better crops for crop rotation.
Speaking to TNIE, S Selvaraj, a farmer from Palacode, said the glut was primarily due to acute water shortage during summers. "If there are good water sources, farmers would invest in better crops. Another reason would be poor planning. In most cases, farmers are not aware of the benefits of crop rotation; they see the current prices and plant them. Farmers must be introduced to crop projection data and real-time cultivation data. They need to be informed ahead of each season about which crop would yield the best prices. These data are available with the administration, and officials should make recommendations on which crop farmers can plant to gain more profit."
P Ganeshan, a wholesale tomato trader said, "Right now, we are getting about 25 tonnes of tomatoes in the market, but we are unable to sell them, and the prices have dropped. For the past eight months, prices were stable at Rs 20 per kg (average). Hence, the cultivation area was also expanded, which in turn led to another glut."
When contacted, horticulture department officials told TNIE, "Dharmapuri is one of the largest tomato producers in the state and we have a cultivation area of about 12,084 ha, producing about 4,67,677 MT of tomatoes. Among them, Palacode alone dedicates about 2,000 ha for tomato cultivation. We have been urging farmers to take up crop rotation. But in most cases, they find alternative crops not viable, creating repeated gluts."
Regarding the data for crop rotation, officials said, "It is available in every one of our block offices across the district. Recently, District Collector R Sadeesh also instructed us to post the data online for easy access to farmers. We will be conducting a 'Digital Crop Survey', three times a year, and will be able to provide real-time data. We will share the data and make recommendations for the welfare of farmers."
Meanwhile, deputy director of agriculture marketing department Illangovan said, "The Tamil Nadu government has announced its plans to set up 100 centres dedicated to manufacturing value added products from tomatoes. By next year, we will have at least one or two such units here. This would improve the situation."