Kurnool: Tomato price hits rock bottom at 10 paise a kg

Kurnool: Tomato prices crashed to the season's lowest of 10 paise a kilogram at Pathikonda agriculture market committee (APMC) market yard on Thursday. Pathikonda is one of the largest producers of tomato. The vegetable produced here would be transported to various parts in the country.

Farmers of Pathikonda, Alur, Aspari and some other areas in the western part of the district have cultivated a fine variety of tomato in large extent of land this year. The yield was also good owing to good rains and brimming water bodies. They brought huge quantities of the vegetable to the market 10 days ago, but to their dismay, the price offered at Pathikonda market yard was 25 paise per kg.

Blaming marketing officials for the crash, farmers took to agitation demanding minimum supporting price. Responding to their stir, the government asked the Agriculture Marketing Committee (AMC) to purchase tomato at Rs 10 a kg. However, marketing authorities brought the produce hardly for two days when they topped. On Thursday, when farmers brought produce to the market, the price crashed to 10 paise. Angry and dejected, farmers threw their crop on road. It is learnt that 150 tonne tomatoes were brought to Pattikonda Agriculture Market Yard on Thursday.

Hanumakka, a woman farmer of Pathikonda, said that they had invested thousands of rupees to raise the crop. "At 10 paise a kg, how can we repay our loans? It doesn't even cover our transportation expenses. The government should announce a minimum support price, else we will be forced to resort to extreme step," she said.

Another farmer Ramanna said the authorities should buy the tomato at Rs 10 as they did a few days ago. TDP Kurnool Parliamentary constituency committee president Somisetty Venkateshwarlu said that the farmers of Pathikonda, Alur, Aspari, Adoni and Yemmignoor used to cultivate tomato crop in large extent of land. If the government does not ensure the minimum support price they would face disaster, he said and demanded the government to come to the rescue of farmers.

Venkateswarlu reminded that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy during his padayatra assured the people of Pathikonda a tomato juice factory would be set up immediately after he came to power. But there has been no sign of it even after 19 months of his coming to power, he said and urged the government to save the tomato farmers by extending support price and setting up the tomato juice unit as promised.