Hyderabad: While Hyderabadis are purchasing tomato at Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg at retailers, farmers are not getting support price due to heat waves and they are being exploited by middlemen who are offering only Rs 2 per kg.
On Sunday, the price of Tomato was registered at Rs 10 per kg at wholesale markets followed by Rs 13 per kg at Rythu Bazaars, Rs 20 per kg at retailers and Rs 22 per kg at super markets. Meanwhile, the farmers in Armur of Nizamabad districts are not getting Rs 50 per a basket (25 kg) of tomato.
Farmers from Morthad mandal of Armur division had experienced Rs 300 per basket till last week and due to increase in temperature and adverse situations, they are getting only Rs 50 and lesser price per basket.
G. Mallaiah, a farmer said that they were investing up to Rs 20,000 for the cultivation of tomato per acre and used to get yield of at least 800 baskets. “Last year, we got a price about Rs 450 per basket which fallen down this year to Rs 300. But, since a week, we are not even getting '50. Most of the farmers are selling their crop as cattle feed at fields,” he said.
M. Sangamaiah, a farmer from Medak district said that earlier middlemen used to visit fields for procuring crop and they used to depute labour for cutting and loading the crop into trucks. “This year the situation is quite different. Middlemen and commission agents are demanding to bring crop at their godowns. Now, we needed to bear labour charges and transport charges,” he said.
Estate Officer of Mehdipatnam Rythu Bazaar K. R. Vijay Kumar said that due to heavy arrivals from other states, the demand for tomato came down. “In the last six years, this is the first time that tomato is recording lesser price. The city markets used to experience 750 quintals of tomato and 618 varieties but, now the arrivals are crossing 1,000 quintals. On Saturday, the price of tomato was recorded at Rs 10 per kg in wholesale markets where on the same day in 2016, it was Rs 27 per kg,” he said.
