Tomato price crisis hits Pattikonda farmers hard

The tomato market at Pattikonda is in turmoil as wholesale traders reportedly form a cartel to drive prices down, leaving farmers with little to show for their hard work and investment. At the heart of the crisis, farmers are being offered a pittance for their produce – between Rs 3 and Rs 6 per kilogram – a price so low that it doesn’t even cover their transport and harvesting expenses.
For the tomato farmers, this is a bitter blow. “We are being offered only Rs 3 to Rs 6 per kg. This is far below what we spend on transport, pesticides, fertilizers, and labour. We can’t even cover the cost of getting our tomatoes to the market,” lamented Raghava Reddy, a local farmer. With tomatoes selling for Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg in open markets across the State, the disparity between what farmers are paid and what consumers pay is stark, causing growing frustration among the farming community. The situation has escalated to the point where many farmers feel it is no longer worth selling their produce. “At one point, the wholesale traders were offering just Rs 1 per kg. It’s better to dump the produce than to sell it at such a loss,” said Narasimhulu, another farmer at the Pattikonda market. In protest, many farmers have taken to dumping their tomatoes on the road in a desperate bid to draw attention to their plight.
Despite the hardships, the farmers have little choice but to continue bringing their produce to the market, hoping for a fair price. However, even the marketing department’s recent decision to buy tomatoes at Rs 4 to Rs 6 per kg has left the farmers dissatisfied. They argue that these prices are far from sufficient to cover their costs or make a profit.
Local officials are now taking notice of the situation. Pattikonda RDO Bharat Naik visited the market to understand the situation firsthand and brought the issue of cartel pricing to the attention of Joint Collector B Navya. In response, Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu has instructed officials to purchase tomatoes from farmers at a minimum price of Rs 8 per kg. Wholesale traders have their explanations for the price drop. Chandrasekhar, a trader in the market, attributed the decline to the large quantities of tomatoes being brought in by farmers from neighbouring states. “The influx of tomatoes from other states, coupled with the high volume brought by local farmers, has caused prices to collapse,” he explained. He also suggested that the majority of the tomatoes being sold were of lower quality, which contributed to the price decline.
Despite these claims, the ongoing crisis has left farmers questioning the fairness of the pricing system. With costs continuing to rise and profits shrinking, the question remains: will the government step in to protect the interests of the farming community and ensure fair prices for their hard-earned produce? Until then, the farmers of Pattikonda face an uncertain future.