In Kolar district in the state of Karnataka, tomato farmers are pleased by the high prices. A few months ago, these same farmers suffered huge losses due to a crash in the price of the fruit.
Tomato is now fetching more than Rs. 500 per 15 kg box at the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard in Kolar.
The maximum rate for quality tomato on Friday 20 May was Rs. 610 per 15 kg box, sources in the APMC told The Hindu . In Mulbagal, tomato fetched as much as Rs. 700 earlier this week.
In contrast, last year, prices crashed to as low as Rs. 30 per box, forcing a number of farmers to abandon the crop in the field; some dumped the picked fruit on roadsides.
That said, the yield is low due to the shortage of water in the drought-hit district.
Other vegetable growers, however, are not a happy lot. “For instance, beans are being sold at Rs. 100 per kg in the wholesale market, but growers will get only Rs. 50. Middlemen are making a huge profit taking advantage of the lower supply of vegetables due to drought,” said K. Srinivas, a farmer from Kolar.
