TIRUPATI: Tomato farmers in the Madanapalle, Punganur, Palamaner and V Kota regions of erstwhile Chittoor district and other parts of the state are in distress – after a short-lived windfall from high prices.
With prices for the fresh crop falling to as low as Rs 60 to Rs 130 per box of 15kg, many farmers are leaving the produce in the fields to rot, rather than spending more from their pockets.
Traditionally, the months of August and September have been a blessing to tomato growers in terms of decent prices. Farmers who invested heavily in tomato cultivation took a blow by mid-August as prices began a steady decline, primarily due to increased tomato arrivals in the markets from other regions.
Until the first week of August, a 15kg box fetched prices ranging from Rs 1,350 to Rs 2,000. Now, the prices for high quality 15kg-box tomatoes have fallen to Rs 90 in the Punganur market, Rs 135 in Madanapalle market and Rs 60 in some other markets in the district.
Tomato farmer G Ramesh expressed his distress, saying, "We invested heavily in tomato cultivation, spending up to a lakh and more per acre on labour, fertilizers, pesticides, weed control etc. Rain and pest infestation during the harvest season further exacerbated our losses."
The average price of a 15kg box of tomatoes in the market has dwindled to as low as Rs 60. Additional expenses such as over Rs 10 for packaging, as much for transportation, a 10 per cent agent commission, and other costs bring the total cost to Rs 27 to 32. Farmers are badly affected.
On the flip side, traders from neighbouring states, who initially rushed to the markets in this region to procure tomatoes, are now getting the stocks for a song elsewhere too.
“The sudden surge in tomato yields, combined with the availability of harvests from other states, has triggered a decrease in demand for locally produced tomatoes, causing the prices to nosedive”, a local trader said.
The distressing drop in tomato prices has led to a grim scene in AP, particularly in districts like Chittoor and Kurnool where farmers are now dumping their produce on the roads or are not harvesting it from the fields.
In Vizag's Gnanapuram market, tomato traders are avoiding the labour costs of carrying boxes into the market by unloading their produce outside and selling them at Rs 10 per kilo.
