Tomato Prices Crash in Kurnool Despite Farmers Reducing Crop Area
Surplus has been caused by oversupply, poor crop quality due to recent rains, and reduced demand from Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra.
Kurnool: Tomato farmers in Pathikonda and surrounding areas are facing severe hardships, as the crop prices have crashed to just Rs 5–8 per kilogram in local markets. After onions, tomatoes are now giving sleepless nights to farmers owing to plummeting prices.
At the Pathikonda Market Yard, one of Andhra Pradesh’s largest tomato trading hubs, wholesale prices dropped sharply to Rs 5–8 per kg on Tuesday, depending on quality, compared to Rs 40 per kg just last week. A 20-kg bag is now selling for only Rs 150–160.
The sudden fall in prices has left farmers shocked, as they are not even earning enough to recover transport charges. Many expressed frustration, saying they had invested heavily in cultivation. But now, they are forced to sell at a loss or abandon their crops. Market arrivals surged from 10 quintals in late August to nearly 40 tonnes on Sunday. The surplus has been caused by oversupply, poor crop quality due to recent rains, and reduced export demand from neighbouring states, such as Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra.
Every year, tomatoes are cultivated over 4,000–6,000 hectares (10,000–15,000 acres) in the region, producing over 23 lakh metric tonnes. Farmers typically spend Rs 35,000–40,000 per acre on cultivation. This year, despite such heavy investment, they are being forced to sell their produce at throwaway prices. For example, at Pathikonda market, 12 kg of tomatoes have been sold for just Rs 50 — averaging Rs 4 per kg.
To provide relief, the state government has announced procurement of tomatoes at a fixed support price of Rs 8 per kg through the Agricultural Market Yard. Pathikonda Market Yard chairman Alamkonda Nabi Saheb said the government’s move came after the local MLA raised the issue with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who directed officials to immediately intervene. Farmers have been asked to bring only well-graded and quality tomatoes for procurement.
“The government will directly purchase sorted, good-quality produce at Rs 8 per kg. We appeal to farmers to cooperate with officials and follow grading procedures,” the chairman said.
Farmer K. Ragappa from Pathikonda said he had suffered losses even last year. The current prices are discouraging. He observed that setting up tomato processing units and promoting product diversification are the only solutions to relieve farmers from this distress.
