Tomato farmers upset with poor returns

Srikakulam: Tomato farmers are unhappy in the district as they are unable to earn reasonable price for their produce. Tomato crop is being cultivated in Ponduru, Etcherla, Laveru, Narasannapeta, Pathapatnam, Kotabommali, Kanchili, Nandigama, Srikakulam rural, Tekkali, Sompeta and Mandasa mandals in the district.

The produce is being shifted to Parlakimidi, Berhampuram, Rayaghada, Neelakantapuram areas in adjacent Odisha state and also to Visakhapatnam.

Adverse climatic conditions like unseasonal rains, cloudy sky, pouring of thick mist causing attack of pests are damaging tomato quality and also quantity in yielding.

Farmers are cultivating two varieties of tomato, one is hybrid and another is local variety. Local variety is in demand and prices are almost double than hybrid variety.

Farmers are unable to sell their produce in open market. As a result, farmers have to sell the produce to local traders.

Traders are paying Rs 5-10 per kg for hybrid variety and Rs 10-20 for local variety to farmers. Unable to transport and store the produce, farmers are disposing their produce at fields to traders for low price.

Traders are selling the same produce for Rs 30-40 per kg for hybrid variety and Rs 60-80 for local variety in urban and semi urban areas. "We are selling our produce to local traders as we have no support from the government to store the produce and sell the same at markets," said farmers, R Appala Naidu, K Rama Rao, B Dhilli Rao of Ponduru, Kotabommali and Sompeta mandals.