Tomato prices may go up as NE monsoon sets in

Coimbatore: Tomato farmers, who were upbeat about high yield following copious southwest monsoon and summer showers, are a disappointed lot as the prices of the produce have dropped. However, market research department at the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) said tomato prices were likely to improve after the onset of northeast monsoon.
A price advisory from the university attributed the drop in the prices to steady arrival of tomato to local markets from Karnataka. “Once the monsoon sets in, transport of the crop from the neighbouring state might get hit and as a result tomato prices might go up in the state.”

Tomato is being sold at Rs 19-Rs 23 per kg in retail stores and markets, while the farm gate price is around Rs 11-Rs 13 per kg. “However, maintaining and harvesting the crop is labour intensive and heavy rain had led to some spoilage,” Veerappa, a farmer from Thondamuthur, said. “We need at least 15 per kg to sustain ourselves.”

The major tomato producing districts in the state are Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Tiruppur, Theni and Dindigal.