Tomato cultivation in Kolar has been affected by a deadly ‘virus’ leaf curl disease, which has impacted the supply to Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, UP, West Bengal and Bangladesh… The farmers are getting a good rate for their produce, but it is the consumers who are bearing the brunt
If you thought that onions can make you cry, then think again. It is the humble red tomatoes that are now bringing tears to the consumers’ eyes, with the prices touching at an all-time high of around Rs 150 per kg in Indian markets — dearer than a litre of petrol.
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News18 visited one of Asia’s largest tomato markets located in Kolar to understand what is driving the prices of the tomato, which a few weeks ago, was being sold at Rs 15 to 20 per kg, but has now hit a century quite literally!
The tomato produce in the farmlands of Kolar, which is the second-largest market in Asia after Nasik in Maharashtra, is being faced with attacks from the deadly whitefly, which transmits the leaf curl disease, causing widespread damage to the cultivation in the region. This “virus”, as the farmers call it, has affected the supply of tomatoes, which are usually transported to markets in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and even Bangladesh.
Nasik, which is considered the largest tomato market in Asia, stops the sale and distribution of the produce in April, which is when the demand for Kolar begins. Since Kolar is affected and the quantity of the yield has dropped considerably, the prices of tomatoes have gone beyond Rs 100, explain Kolar Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) officials.
Since Kolar is affected and the quantity of the yield has dropped considerably, the prices of tomatoes have gone beyond Rs 100, explain Kolar Agricultural Produce Market Committee officials. (Photo: Rohini Swamy/ News18)
As auctioneers shout out the prices of tomatoes at the APMC yard based on the size and quality, they largely have been finalising between Rs 900 to Rs 1,800 per crate (15 kg).
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If you break this down simply, a kilogramme of tomato costs nearly Rs 120 per kg, and by the time the trader sells it to the end customer, the price lands close to Rs 140, the rates at which the vegetable has been selling in cities like Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai.
The farmers are getting a good rate for their produce, but it is the consumers who are bearing the brunt of the spike in prices as the end-users.
Saddam Hussein is a Mandi owner who is also an auctioneer. He explains that farmers in Kolar, who would generate close to 300 crates of tomatoes on a daily basis, are left only with produce that fills close to 50 to 60 crates.
“The tomatoes that are sold to markets in Chhattisgarh, Bilaspur, Raipur, cost between Rs 900 to Rs 1,500 per crate. The people in these cities prefer medium-sized tomatoes. But the produce that is transported to Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangladesh, are selling between Rs 1,100 and Rs 1,300 for 15 kg. These are the top-quality ones. So do the math, and it is estimated between Rs 100 and 120 per kg in the vegetable market,” Hussein said.
Nasik, which is considered the largest tomato market in Asia, stops the sale and distribution of the produce in April, which is when the demand for Kolar begins. (Photo: Rohini Swamy/ News18)
Another Ranganath Reddy, a farmer who exports his produce to Bangladesh, says the quality of the vegetable has to be top-class and firm to ensure it lands in good condition, and ready to be sold in Bangladesh after having been transported by road, which takes close to a week.
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“To grow tomatoes in an acre of land, we need Rs 1 to 2 lakh. We get a yield of 240 boxes approximately in that one acre. Today, we are getting Rs 1,000 for a box and we are able to survive. But if the price of tomatoes drops down to Rs 200 per box (meaning close to Rs 13 per kg) due to excess supply of tomatoes in the market, then we will have no option but to commit suicide as we won’t be able to pay to our farms lands,” said Reddy.
On the upside, in the present situation where tomatoes are selling at a red hot price of over Rs 100 per kg, growers are quite happy.
BM Narasimha Gowda has been growing tomatoes for nearly three decades, and as he stands in the APMC yard to auction his produce, he has a smile on his face as he makes a tidy profit.
“The quality of the tomatoes from my farm is good, and the price has been shooting up from the normal Rs 500 to almost Rs 1,750 for a crate (15 kg). There has been a shortage of yield, and a lot of the crop has been affected by the virus. That’s why tomatoes are selling at a high price,” he said.
He, however, adds that the farmers have been suffering losses in the last six months due to fluctuating prices and temperamental weather, forcing them to even dump their produce as the price hit as low as Rs 5 per kg.
“It is only now we are able to recover from the losses,” Gowda adds.
Reddy says it is a “bumper” for the farmers, but they are not sure how long it will last as the crop has been affected by the leaf curl disease.
On the upside, in the present situation where tomatoes are selling at a red hot price of over Rs 100 per kg, growers are quite happy. (Photo: Rohini Swamy/ News18)
The months between May and August are the peak season in Kolar, and this disease has hit farmers who are cultivating the vegetable. The tomato season extends up to December, but N Vijayalakshmi, the secretary of the Kolar Agricultural Produce & Livestock Market Committee (APMC), tells News18 that the arrival of the tomatoes in the APMC yard has decreased.
“For example, if there are 100 boxes of the tomato yield that we receive at the APMC yard, we get only 30 boxes today. If the yield is low, then it drives the prices up. That is why the prices have been escalating. At present, in the Kolar region, the farmlands are highly affected by the whitefly and the leaf curl disease. This affects the tomato crop in the begging stage itself and does not allow it to flower or bear the tomato fruit. It also spreads through the air,” she explained.
According to Vijayalakshmi, the Kolar APMC has received only 3.2 lakh quintals of tomatoes in June; however, last year around the same month, they had received 5.45 lakh quintals. If you compare the previous years, the Kolar APMC has received around 2.9 lakh quintals in 2019, 6.9 lakh in 2020, and 9.3 lakh quintals in 2022.
The price of tomatoes may continue to skyrocket for the next fortnight if the yield continues to be low, warns the Kolar APMC secretary.
“The situation could take a turn for the worse as the shortage of tomato yield, coupled with the time taken for the harvest, which is further delayed by the disease, would add up to pushing the price up to even close to Rs 200 kg,” she said.
