PNS|Chittoor
Tomato farmers faced challenges during the previous season when they sold their produce at a lower price of Rs 3 per kg. However, this season has brought a sense of optimism as the tomato produce is fetching significant revenues due to a steep hike in prices.
P Chandramouli, a tomato farmer from Karakamanda village in Somala mandal, Chittoor district, raised tomato crop in 22 acres of land spread across Karakamanda and Suvvarapupalle villages in Pulicherla mandal. His family members, including his brother Murali and mother Rajamma, assisted him in the cultivation process. Employing modern techniques and hard work, they successfully harvested tomatoes, with the yield starting in June. Chandramouli chose the Sahoo variety of tomatoes for cultivation.
His tomato produce has been sold in the Kolar market in Karnataka state, where a 15 kg box fetches prices ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500. So far, he has sold 40,000 boxes, amounting to an impressive earning of over Rs 4 crore, as per Chandramouli’s own disclosure.
To bring forth this prosperous yield, Chandramouli invested Rs 70 lakh in raising his tomato crop, along with paying Rs 20 lakh in market taxes and Rs 10 lakh for transportation expenses. As a result, he earned a net profit of Rs 3 crore from the season’s tomato sales. This year marks the first time in his 15-year-long tomato farming career that he has achieved such substantial earnings from selling his tomato produce.
Notably, other tomato farmers, including small-scale ones with less than one acre of land, also experienced good yields and profits, as shared by some farmers with the media.
