Tomato growers still reel under truckers’ strike impact

Tirupati: Tomato farmers have been feeling the pinch of fluctuating prices with double whammy situation this season. Already they earned huge loses with excess production this year as the crop was cultivated in about 30,000 acres.

Adding to these woes, the lorry strike last week had hit a hard blow on them since exports were badly affected. The average turnover in Madanapalle tomato market, considered to be the biggest in Rayalaseema, would be Rs.3-4 crores per day which has fallen to Rs.1-2 crores during lorries’ strike in the country.

The prices of tomatoes experience huge fluctuations due to conditions in the market yards. For most of the season, the price was hovered between Rs.5-10 per kg at which the growers cannot earn any profits. A farmer observed that if the price touches at least Rs.12 per kg ``we may earn profit after meeting all the expenditure which was not there for the entire season barring for one or two occasions.’’  

It was only in the second half of July the price touched Rs.20-22 for first grade tomatoes which arrives to the market in lesser quantity. The mostly available second grade tomato growers get Rs.15-20 for limited days  before the truckers’ strike.

It may be noted that during the same period last year the price was between Rs.30-35 and at times even touched Rs.40 which forced growers to go for cultivating the crop in more area. In July 2017, the prices of tomatoes even touched Rs.100 in retail markets with shortage of supply at Madanapalle market as the crop was hit by heavy rains at that time.

As the lorries were off the road for eight days, the price of first grade tomato was dropped to Rs.12, said a trader in Madanapalle market yard SK Masthan. Tomatoes are being exported from Madanapalle, Punganur, Palamaner, Kalikiri and Valmikipuram areas in large quantities to several areas in the State and other states like Telangana, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

Due to the strike by lorry owners, buyers from those states have not come to Madanapalle due to absence of transport facility. On an average, more than 200 lorries and mini lorries transport tomatoes from Madanapalle market to other areas. But due to the strike, almost 9000 lorries were off the roads in the district. 

A farmer observed that, at the time of prices picking up somehow, lorry strike gave a big blow and it will take some more days to come to normal conditions. Several farmers have left the crop in the fields to save the transport charges to the market yard, he observed.