Vijayawada: Tomato farmers in despair as prices nosedive

Vijayawada: The famous tomato market of Rayalaseema region in the state, Pathikonda Agriculture Market Committee (APMC) in Kurnool district, has closed down in the face of an alarming crash in the prices of tomato.

Farmers bemoan that their produce is not even worth being fetched to the market as it would burden them with the transport cost additionally.

They are in quandary and several of them are reportedly dumping their produce on the roads or allowing it to rot in the fields itself. Each basket of 20 kg is not even fetching Rs 30 and the crisis is similar to the one faced two years ago when a kilo of tomatoes were going at the rate of 30 paise or so.

Only a month ago, the prices were in the range of Rs 100 or so for a kg. The tomato belt farmers in the region were happy at the soaring prices and began dumping their produce into the market expecting good returns. A 20-kg box was being sold for Rs 800 even a month ago, some of the farmers say, but now it fetches hardly one rupee or so per kg now.

Several of them complained that they had invested a minimum of Rs 30,000 per acre on the crop, including pesticides.

"It is similar to 2021. We had to sell tomatoes for less than Rs 1 per kg. This is no better. No one helps us including the market authorities," Narsappa, a farmer who brought his produce to the market a week ago said.

Farmers here blame the market authorities for closing the market instead of helping them out in the crisis. There has been a long demand for a tomato pulp and other by-products' factory in the region. Yet, the politicians do not seem to be interested in it, farmers say.

Situation at Pyapili market yard, also in Kurnool district, is no different, it is learnt. Here too the market is full of tomatoes and woes for the farmers.

Market authorities blame the "sudden arrivals" and say "these people dump the product the moment they hear of a good price and this leads to a slump in the price. Moreover, there is too much reliability on tomato crops in this belt. However much one may advise them against it, they don't listen and only go for it".

Farmers of Pathikonda, Alur, Aspari and some other areas cultivate a fine variety of tomatoes to a large extent and the good monsoon season has led to a bumper crop.