Farmers see red as tomato fails to fetch good price

Tomato trade has seen a sharp dip as both the quantity and the price have come down this season compared to last year, as per the crop arrival registered at Solan-based Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC).

A total of 1,34,365 crates weighing 3,224,760 kg had been traded through the APMC since the start of the season over a month ago, committee official Bias Dev Sharma said. One crate weighs 24 kg.

It is the main cash crop of the region and trading started on June 9. The arrival, however, appears to be on a slower side compared to last year, as 2,16,111 crates weighing 5,186,664 kg had been traded during the corresponding period last year. This time it is nearly 62 per cent less.

The price, too, is yet to pick up. The average price available to a grower is Rs 2,100 per crate as against Rs 2,500 last year. While the maximum price touched Rs 6,300 per crate last year, it was hovering around Rs 3,800 per crate this year, though growers expected that the trade would gain momentum in the coming days.

A kilo of premium tomato Heemsohna fetched Rs 158 this time as against Rs 262 last year. Grown over 5,000 hectares in the district, tomato is the main cash crop, which had been fetching good prices for the agrarian community in the last few years.

Solan APMC chairman Roshan Thakur said the trade was slightly weak this season, but it is expected to pick up in days to come.

Tomato growers said dry weather conditions at the time of sowing and delayed sowing contributed to a lean crop. However, they are expecting the prices to pick up.

Decrying the lean crop, grower Ajay said, “Earlier, the sowing was delayed due to the dry weather and now the onset of rain was affecting both the quantity and the yield as there were fewer than required sunny days for the crop to mature. The excess rain, which lashed the area in June, hit the yield. Earlier, I managed to harvest 60-70 kg every third day, but not it was barely 30-35 kg.”

Having earned the sobriquet of ‘red gold’, tomato crop is sown twice in the area every year. It is sown in February during the rabi season and during the monsoon and harvested at the year-end. Tomato is not grown from November to January, as the fruit setting and flowering are affected by low temperatures.

Himachal Tribune