The price of tomato in South India’s largest tomato market at Madanapalle stood at ₹6.40 a kg on Tuesday, while the vegetable was reportedly sold at 65 paise a kg in domestic markets in Kurnool and Anantapur.
The retail tomato price in Chittoor district suddenly shot up to ₹60 a kg from July, and even touched ₹100 in September. At this stage, the wholesale price in Madanapalle market remained more or less equal to trade dynamics, with a difference of ₹15 to ₹20 a kg owing to transportation costs, commission and retail benefits. In November too, the price stood at ₹40 a kg. It is only from the third week of December that the price plummeted to ₹10, and since last week, it reached ₹6 and a little more.
Between June and October this year, the tomato yield, with more than 5,000 traditional tomato farmers in Madanapalle division, stood between the lowest ever since five years at 100-250 tonnes a day, as against 700-800 tonnes a day in the previous years. However, from December onwards, the tonnage reaching the market rose to 450 a day (to be specific on Tuesday).
Agriculture Market Committee (Madanpalle) chairman, Ratakonda Gurappa Naidu told The Hindu that more and more scientific methods were being followed by tomato growers of Madanapalle division in the last two years. “This year, despite drastic fall in production, the price remained highly stable, much remunerative to them. The farmers here followed multiple crop patterns, and avoided drawing bulk yields, thus sustaining the demand since six months,” he said.
He observed that it was a record that the domestic tomato at Madanapalle market was sold at ₹6.4 a kg on Tuesday. “The market trend is that the product is being sold at just 65 paise a kg in Kurnool and Anantapur since a couple of days,” he said.
Traders in the market said there were only two qualities in Madanapalle, Grade I and Rejected. “The second quantum generally gets sold out at the lowest rates, which does not come under the purview of the healthy market,” Mr. Naidu said.
He said that despite stupendous fall in tomato price elsewhere in India, Madanapalle variety was going strong. “The prime reason is that our variety has the maximum shelf life — for a week and more. Its taste is unique and is definitely marked anywhere in India. The traders in northern states and in Tamil Nadu prefer Madanapalle variety. Even during this lean period, we are getting a good number of traders from other States,” he said.
The fall of tomato price from ₹80-100 in mid-year to ₹6.4 in the fag end of December has been attributed to winter. Expert traders observed that generally, tomatoes are consumed in the lowest quantities during winter. Some traditional and orthodox families in the South avoid the red-colored vegetables during the festive months, particularly till end of Dhanurmasam , which symbolises Sun’s transit into Makara.
