Tomato finds new use in times of lockdown

When tonnes of tomatoes are getting wasted in the fields of Kolar, a village in Mulbagal taluk is trying to help the farmers of its neighbouring village by adding value to this major crop of the region. Forty nine families of Honnasettihalli are making sun dried tomato flakes and have used half a tonne in the last two days.

"We have seen farmers struggling due to a steep drop in the demand. We thought we could support them by utilising two resources that are abundant now - the sun and the time," said Girija M S of Gram Vikas, an organisation that is supporting these villagers with training and supply of tomatoes.

Girija and her team bought tomatoes from the neighbouring village at a rate of Rs 4 per kg as quoted by the farmers themselves. While there is no market for tomatoes, even those who could sell got only Re 1 per kg in the market.

Each family has processed 10 kg of tomatoes maintaining hygiene all through. Tomatoes are cleaned, sliced, sun dried with a pinch of salt and turmeric sprinkled over them. After three days, the flakes are stored in airtight containers. Along with individual families, over 10 youngsters from the village work in a community space experimenting with different value-added products.

"We had harvested tomatoes before the lockdown began so didn't find it difficult to market. We couldn't see our neighbours suffering losses. If they can't sell their produce they won't be able to grow their next crop," says Radha, a villager.

Next, they are planning to make sun dried onion flakes and tomato pickles. While the products will be consumed locally in the beginning, these enthusiasts are exploring the possibility of marketing the product.

"We want to preserve as much as we can. Now other villages are also showing interest," says Navyashri.

The organisation acknowledges the support extended by people from across cross sections in this venture.

"Dried tomato flakes can be used in a variety of dishes from pizzas and pasta to rasam. It is ideal to use solar driers for the process. Care should be taken to maintain hygiene to avoid microbial contamination. It is a must to get the product certified by FSSAI if they intend to market the product,” said Svati Bhogle, one of the scientists who developed the process of drying tomatoes. She also said that 100 kg of ripe tomatoes yield 5 kg of dried flakes.

MVN Rao, executive director, Gram Vikas, said that they are making the best use of the situation and they have tried sun drying tomatoes in the past as well.

"Dried flakes is one of the options farmers can explore. It is most suited for local consumption. There are also some other post-harvest technologies which can be put to use now. While local efforts are important, they can't be the sole solution in the time of crisis. Processing can match production only if big food companies pitch in," says horticulture scientist B S Harish.