Demand for tomatoes from Pakistan and other neighbouring countries benefits farmers in the remote villages of Madhya Pradesh. The tomato yield in Pakistan is usually low due to the cold climate and frost, hence the increase in demand for Indian tomatoes.
However, while business was good in 2015, this year, exports have plunged as Pakistan has harvested good tomato crop due to an unusually warm winter.
“During the peak season in October-November, 50-60 trucks, each with a capacity of 15 tonnes, pass through the border every day. Tomatoes are mainly sourced from Nashik in Maharashtra and MP,” Sanjiv Puri, an Amritsar-based custom house agent said.
State agriculture director ML Meena stated, “The area under tomato cultivation in the state has gone up due to the growing demand in the domestic as well as overseas markets.”
Shortages of tomatoes in Pakistan give handsome returns to growers in MP, farmers said. “We get more than double the price in Pakistan compared to the domestic prices but then the transportation costs are higher,” said Anoopchand, a farmer who exported tomatoes worth Rs 11 million in 2015.
“Exports to Bangladesh will pick up in March and we also export to Nepal where the small-sized desi varieties are in demand,” he said.
