Stable tomato prices continue to cheer farmers in Bagepalli...

With the beginning of monsoon rains, there is a considerable fall in the prices of vegetables in Bagepalli taluk. Though the prices of vegetables fall during this season, the prices of tomatoes continues to remain constant.

This is enough reason for the farmers to cheer.

The Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee in the taluk on Sunday saw a bustle of activities with the sale of tomatoes and only tomatoes. With the prices of other vegetables hitting rock bottom, the sale of tomatoes continued as usual.

Consumer’s concern

Though the prices of tomato might have brought cheer to the farmers, it is now the turn of the consumers to be worried about.

Tomato being one of the most important vegetable required for the day-to-day cooking, the consumers are but forced to pay the price for it.

Infact, the farmers find it difficult to cultivate tomatoes during the monsoon. If the veggie is earning a good rate in the beginning of the season, it is enough for it to make them happy.

At present, the tomatoes are being sold from Rs 80 to Rs 130 for a bag of 15 kg. Per kg of tomatoes are being sold at Rs 10 in the town.

Apart from tomatoes, a kg of beans is being sold at Rs 20, a kg carrot costs Rs 10, a kg cauliflower costs Rs 10, a kg beetroot costs Rs 15 and a kg brinjal costs Rs 10, the lowest among all the vegetables, according to sources from the vegetable market.

Scarcity of tomatoes

Due to floods in North Karnataka region, tomatoes are being sent to Dharwad, Raichur, Chinchanur, Sindagi, etc. When most of the tomatoes cultivated in the district and the border regions are exported to foreign countries, there is going to be a scarcity in Kolar district, said president of the Shop Owners’ Association H S Narendra.

Even amid depleting groundwater levels and dearth of water bodies in the region, almost 90 per cent of the farmers have made efforts to cultivate tomatoes depending on the borewell water for irrigation.

While the other vegetables cultivated by the farmers who have taken equal measures of pain have failed to generate a good revenue, it is only the tomatoes which have earned fruits to their hard labour to them.