Tomato price rises, but so does farmers' worry

Raining woes: Untimely rain, diseases threaten to eat into profits of growers

Tomato crop in the fields across the district is ready for harvesting and the farmers are rubbing their hands in glee as the ruling price of Rs 250-300 a box of 15 kg is the highest in the recent times, working out to Rs 18-20 a kg. But, there are latent worries over the rain and the consequent excess moisture in the soil, which can give rise to diseases like blight and gray leaf spot to which tomato is vulnerable.

Pesticides

Application of pesticides used to prevent the diseases, but of late the even the repeated spraying of chemicals does not seem to be able to prevent the diseases. Moreover, the overcast conditions are not ideal for spraying pesticides. The net effect is that there is moderate to heavy fruit fall due to the diseases.

“We have already had four harvests, but losing the crop to disease when the market rate is at its highest has made it a bitter experience for us,” said Chandrappa, a farmer from Kallandur in the taluk.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Chandrappa complained about the relentless rain, although he took advantage of the sunshine on Saturday to spray his crops.

Saving the crops

Some farmers in the district, however, have taken adaptive and preventive measures to cope with the problem. The tomato saplings are planted at a higher ground in the fields and are covered with polythene, in order to prevent the moisture in the soil from reaching them.

Krishnappa, a farmer in Koragandahalli, who adapted the measure was able to to prevent the crop from being exposed to excessive moisture. However, he was not  able to save his plants that are ready for harvesting, from an attack of blight, thanks to the endless rain.

Officers in the Department for Agriculture said fungal disease are most common when tomato crops get an overdose of rain.

“The tomatoes rot, giving a situation of missing a treasure that reached the threshold. Several farms in the district have experienced this.”

Spraying of anti-fungal medicines on the crops controls spread of the disease, the officers said, adding that the Department provided a subsidy of Rs 1,000 a hectare for purchase of the pesticides.