Tomato Prices Plummet In TN Forcing Farmers Destroy Crops

Chennai: Tomato farmers across Tamil Nadu are facing heavy losses as prices have dropped to as low as Rs7 per kilogram in the retail market.

With production costs exceeding returns, many farmers have resorted to destroying their crops instead of harvesting them.

R.M. Senthilnathan, a farmer from Thumpichipalayam near Kallimandayam in Oddanchatram taluk, Dindigul, said he had spent over Rs5 lakh on fertilizers, pesticides, and fencing for his six-acre tomato farm. “For the past two months, I have been harvesting around 20 boxes of tomatoes per day, with each box weighing 14 kg. Prices ranged between Rs200 and Rs280 per box. However, due to a sudden influx of tomatoes in the market, prices have plummeted to Rs7 per kg in retail,” Senthilnathan told media.

He said, “With labourers demanding Rs3 per box for plucking, he said harvesting has become unviable. We have no choice but to destroy the crop and prepare the field for the next cultivation.”

In some areas of Dindigul, retail tomato prices have dropped further, from Rs10 per kg last week to Rs6 per kg. Another tomato farmer, Umesh Kumar, stated that many farmers have stopped plucking tomatoes altogether to cut their losses. M. Manikandan, a trader in the Oddanchatram market, explained the reason behind the price drop. “Last week, tomatoes were selling at Rs170 to Rs200 per box (Rs10 to Rs12 per kg). However, due to large-scale arrivals -- over 200 boxes per shop daily -- the price has now fallen to Rs4 to Rs5 per kg,“ he said.