Drastic Dip in Tomato Prices Leaves Farmers Fuming in Telangana
Hyderabad: Seven months after tomato prices almost hit a century in the State, the cost has now registered a drastic dip leaving several farmers in Telangana fuming and fretting for the last few days.
The plummeting prices are prompting several farmers to dump tomatoes either on the road or in the open place in their field, cursing their fate for not getting remunerative prices in spite of working hard for months. On an average, each farmer had spent Rs.35,000 to Rs.40,000 expenditure per acre for cultivating tomatoes and generated 12 to 14 tonnes of tomatoes per acre.
However, they are not getting the money that was invested for the cultivation. Unable to get the remunerative prices, a few farmers in Jogulamba- Gadwal district dumped quintals of tomatoes in their fields. Elsewhere in Telangana, most farmers stopped collecting tomatoes from their fields believing that there is no point in shifting the produce to the market bearing transport expenses at a time when prices reduced drastically.
Last week, vendors sold three kgs of tomatoes for Rs.50 in Hyderabad and they are now selling four kgs for Rs.50. At the weekly market in residential colonies, the vendors are selling one kg of tomato at a price ranging between Rs.10 and Rs.20 depending upon the quality.
Explaining the reasons for the dip in prices, Jogulamba- Gadwal district horticulture officer Akbar Ali told Deccan Chronicle on Monday that the farmers in two Telugu States were facing the same situation because of high production.
“It’s really a difficult situation for tomatoes growing farmers,” he said, advising them to start the process of cultivating tomatoes from April to get profit. Those cultivating tomatoes in the Kharif season were suffering losses regularly, he explained. In June 2024, the prices of tomatoes hovered between Rs.80 and Rs.100 per kg generating profit to farmers.