Tomato farmers' wait for juice factory goes on

Kurnool: Due Lack of a juice manufacturing factory, the tomato growers in Kurnool district are forced to abandon the produce in the fields or dump on the roadside. There were also incidents of farmers committing suicide as the syndicates prevent them from getting remunerative prices for the crop.

The demand for a juice factory has been there for over four decades from farmers of Pathikonda constituency. Tomato is widely cultivated in Pathikonda, Devanakonda, Aspari, Maddikerra, Thuggali, Veldurthy, Kodumur, Krishna Giri and Adoni.

The farmers cultivate the crop to an extent of approximately 42,000 hectare. Almost all farmers in these regions cultivate the tomato crop with a hope that they will get remunerative prices at the agriculture market yard. But every time they face bitter experience. They have only two options: To sell at the price fixed by the syndicates or dump them on roads. Most of the time the price offered is so low that they prefer dumping on road and suffer total loss.

Some farmers told The Hans India that they have been demanding that a juice factory be set up in this region. At the time of elections all leaders promise this but do nothing. If a juice factory is set up, it would help them get remunerative price, they claim.

Bathina Naveen, a resident of Devanakonda, said that the farmers cultivate tomato and other crops like ground nuts, onions, chilies and others. But the tomato crop dominates all other crops in these regions. He said during season there have been many instances when a kg tomato was sold at 50 paise. But in the market, it is sold at Rs 10 per kg. If a juice factory was set up, the middlemen will not have much role to play, he added.

Naveen further said the juice factory can also check migration from western part of Kurnool as it would provide direct and indirect employment.

The horticulture department officials said that the government had identified a land and a survey was also conducted. The tomato juice factory was proposed to set up in an extent of 10 acre at Edula Devarabanda village near Kapataralla village in Devanakonda mandal. But so far nothing had happened.

When asked about migration, the project director of District Water Management Agency (DWMA), Amarnath Reddy said that the department was providing work under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Still some were going to other places for jobs.

Reddy also opined that if the tomato juice factory was set up then 10 to 15 per cent of migrations can be stopped.