Pandemic-hit Kolar farmers leave tomatoes to rot in fields

Muted demand has turned the moderate produce of tomatoes into excess supply as restrictions on interstate transport, closure of hotels and a ban on events have all contributed to the loss of the tomato farmers in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts.

According to farmers, more than 30% of their produce has remained unsold in the past two months. Over the weekend, at least 10,000 boxes of tomatoes went waste as they were not called for auction at CMR Mandi at Kolar.

The farmers in the regions are preferring to leave the fruits in the plants instead of harvesting as what they procure from selling them is not enough to cover the costs of labour required to harvest and market.

Peddur Janardhan Gowda, a farmer from Kolar, said: "I would have to pay around Rs 7-8 lakh for labour to harvest my 6-acre field. But we get only Rs 40-50 for 15 kg in the private Mandis. That is why I have left more than 2 acres unharvested."

Manjunath Reddy, another farmer from the region said that while fruits which are not fully ripe have demand in the markets, those which are fully red/ripe remain unsold.

The Kolar APMC has been receiving 13,000-18,000 quintals of tomatoes everyday from Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts, which is considerably more than previous years' supplies, according to T S Ravikumar, the APMC secretary.

He pointed out that since the local consumption of tomatoes is very less, the closure of APMCs in other states has also affected the trade. "The retail chain has been affected very badly and is one of the major reasons why the prices have gone down," he added.

Along with tomatoes, the prices of many vegetables, especially leafy vegetables, cucumbers and cauliflowers have collapsed in markets statewide.

Badagalapura Nagendra, president, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), said "The movement of vegetables to neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala has stopped due to Covid-19 curbs. The vegetable growers are in great trouble. It is necessary for the government to fix MSPs and help them."

Ravikumar said that the prices might rise after two weeks as the demand is expected to go up in other states. The tomatoes, which are currently priced at Rs 50-60 for 15 kilos, might reach up to Rs 200 by next month, the APMC secretary said.