Dharmapuri farmers on receiving end due to tomato price slash amid glut

Dharmapuri: Tomato farmers in Dharmapuri district are on the receiving end due to excess production. Therefore, prices have been slashed in both wholesale and retail markets. Currently, tomatoes are being sold at just Rs 5 to Rs 7 per kg in wholesale markets and at Rs 12 per kg in retail. Farmers have urged the Horticulture Department to raise awareness about crop rotation and release monthly data on planted crops to allow them to plant other crops besides tomatoes.

Dharmapuri is known for bumper tomato production in the state. Most farmers prefer tomato farming due to a lack of water during the summer, resulting in an abundance of production, which led to a steep fall in prices.

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Wholesale tomato trader P. Ganeshan added, “We receive around 25 tonnes of tomatoes daily, but sales are poor. For the last eight months, prices were around Rs 20 per kg, so many farmers expanded tomato cultivation. This has caused another glut.”

Officials from the horticulture department confirmed that Dharmapuri has around 12,084 hectares of tomato fields, producing over 4.6 lakh metric tonnes annually. Palacode block alone has 2,000 hectares under tomato cultivation. They said they have been advising farmers to rotate crops, but many find alternative crops unprofitable.

Farmers believe that better planning, exact tomato farming data in the state, better market access, and installation of cold storage will stop the glut of crops. The Tamil Nadu government has decided to install 100 centers to produce value-added tomato products. It is expected that one or two units will start functioning in Dharmapuri. This initiative is likely to stop the tomato surplus, and farmers are expected to get better prices for their produce.