The heat of Bangladesh’s political turmoil hit the farmers of Kolar! Tomato price has fallen drastically

DHAKA : The political turmoil in neighboring Bangladesh has affected the tomato growers of Kolar. West Bengal traders are unable to export tomato to Bangladesh, so the price has fallen. Farmers of Kolar are likely to face the blow of fall in tomato prices.

Before the unrest in Bangladesh, a box of first grade tomatoes (approximately 15 kg) was selling for around Rs 1,100 to 1,200. Now selling for Rs 350 to 480. In Kolar APMC, the price of tomato has fallen to Rs 12 per kg, which was Rs 40 a fortnight ago. At Kolar APMC, the wholesale rate is Rs 100 to Rs 400 per box. The report of ‘Deccan Herald’ said that there is. The report quoted officials as saying that traders in West Bengal have cut tomato purchases by nearly 50 per cent.

Huge drop in tomato shipments to West Bengal

Before the first week of August, around 40 to 50 truckloads of tomatoes were being transported daily from Kolar to West Bengal. Now, it has reduced to 20 trucks, said Kolar APMC Secretary Kira Narayanaswamy.

Traders in West Bengal were buying first grade tomatoes from Kolar’s Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) for local consumption and export to Bangladesh. Kolar APMC is one of the largest tomato markets in the country.

Price drop in Karnataka market too

The retail price of tomato has also decreased in the market of Karnataka. According to the report, tomatoes are currently being sold at Rs 16 to 20 per kg across the state.

Apart from West Bengal, Kolar tomatoes are in high demand in the markets of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Tomato grown in an area of ​​about 4,000 hectares in the district is supplied to several markets in Karnataka including Bangalore.

The recent landslide in Wayanad has affected tomato sales to Kerala. Local traders say that this is also a reason for the fall in prices.

A good monsoon had given us hope that we would get a good yield and sell at a higher price. However, a farmer said that the fall in prices started after the Wayanad landslide.

The price is feared to fall further

Farmers of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and other states are also growing tomatoes in good quantity this year, local farmers and traders are worried that the price of tomatoes in Kolar may fall further.