Hyderabad: With middlemen and retailers taking their cuts, there is a huge difference in prices of vegetables in various parts of the city. Tomato, which is supplied to Hyderabad from various places in Ranga Reddy district including Chevella, Moinabad, Mominpet, Navabpet, Shankerpally, Vikarabad, Parigi, Maheswaram, Shamshabad, Shabad, Ibrahimpatnam and Maal areas, is sold by farmers at Re 1 per kilogram and sometimes less than Re 1. As the crop yield increased in the last 10 days in Ranga Reddy district, the price has come down.
Farmers are being exploited by middlemen at the field level. “The rates for tomatoes are not good this time. We have no hopes for profit and we are seeking at least to get back our investments on the crop. We are selling tomatoes for Re 1 per kg," Mr Nilam Yadaiah, a farmer from Chevella told DC. Another farmer from Ibrahimpatnam, Mr D. Ravinder, said that most middlemen were offering only 50 paise to Re 1 and some farmers were talking of disposing the crop rather than selling it at lower costs. The price of tomatoes meanwhile goes up 18 times by the time it reaches Hyderabad, which is 40-50 km from the farmers. In super bazaars tomatoes are sold at Rs 16 to Rs 20 per kg and at retailers’ it is being sold at Rs 12 to Rs 14.
It is being sold for Rs 5 per kg at the RK Puram Rythu Bazaar in the Cantonment area, Rs 6 at Mehdipatnam, Rs 7 at Alwal, Kukatpally, Saroornagar and Meerpet Rythu Bazaars. An official source from Mehdipatnam Rythu Bazaar said that the rates were high in retail markets due to the middlemen. “The government provides special buses for farmers to bring vegetables from their villages. The price at Rythu Bazaars is fixed by the government so that the rates at Rythu Bazaars are less and stable,” the source said.
About the wholesale and retail markets, he said, “Although middlemen procure tomatoes at Re 1 per kg from farmers in villages, they initially raise the cost to Rs 3. They sell it at wholesale markets for Rs 5 per kg after including their transportation charges. Similarly, retailers raise the price as per their investments on transportation, shop rents, power-bills and other expenses,” he said.
