Tirupati: The fluctuations in the tomato price are making the farmers cry whereas the customers are happy due to fall in the prices.
The steep fall in the prices in Chittoor district have shown adverse impact on the farmers, who suffered huge losses.
The tomato which was sold for Rs 40-50 per kg a few weeks ago, has came down to Rs six per kg. In some areas, the farmers are dumping their produce on the roads as they even didn’t get their investment on it.
The prices of tomato has witnessed fluctuations in the Palamaner market yard, one of the famous yard in the district for the last one month.
The farmers are getting only Rs 50 for 15 kgs per basket, which is the lowest ever price in this year and the rate was even slashed to Rs 30 a couple of days ago, which led to unrest among the farmers who are dumping their crop on the roads in protest against the traders and middlemen, who allegedly decreasing the price by saying there is heavy crop in this season.
Palamaner market committee is famous for tomato sales. Around 500 farmers from neighbouring villages will sell their tomato crop in the market yard.
The traders from other cities-- Bengaluru, Kolar, Hyderabad and Vijayawada will purchase tomato by participating in auction and transport the crop to their destinations.
The crop which will yield in three months has become a gambling for farmers as they have to face profits as well as losses.
For an acre, the investment will be about Rs 20,000. If the basket of 15 kg tomato fetches '100, it is a profit for the farmer. Sometimes the prices will rise to Rs 200 and Rs 300 for a basket.
At that time the farmer will earn Rs 1-2 lakh per acre. If the rate is Rs 50 per basket the farmer will get the investment only. If the prices fell down to Rs 20 per basket the farmer will incur huge losses and he won’t get even the labour charges for plucking the crop. The crop rate has steeply fell down in Tirupati market as 3kgs tomato is being sold between Rs 15-20. At Gurramkonda market yard 30kgs tomato crate rate was Rs 100 about a week ago. But the rate was fell down to Rs 60 on Saturday causing anger among the farmers.
In Madanapalli market the tomato is being sold for about Rs 200 per 30 kgs crate. The farmers at Gurramkonda market yard staged protests on Saturday and locked the main gates for two hours in protest of being cheated by the officials and traders.
Later they staged rasta roko on Bengaluru-Kadapa highway for three hours. The farmers have dumped their crop at a forest area by tractors beside the National Highway marking their protests.
According to M. Rangappa, a farmer belonging to Chandragiri mandal said that he cultivated tomato crop in his two acres. This season he has to face huge loss as the rate is steeply fell down.
“I won't get even my investment of Rs 40,000 for two acres as at present the rate of tomato is being sold for Rs 5-6 per kg iIn Tirupati vegetable market. There should be some mechanism for stabilising the tomato prices and protecting the interests of farmers also,” he opined.
