Tomatoes sold at Rs 2 per kg, Odisha farmers in despair as prices fall drastically

Tomato farmers in Odisha’s Dhenkanal are facing an unprecedented drop in prices, with their produce being sold at a mere Rs 2 per kilo. The situation has put considerable strain on over 100 farmers in Hataibari village, part of the Gondia block located along the Brahmani River.

The farmers here are in despair as the value of their produce has drastically fallen. The local farmers, traditionally reliant on tomato cultivation, are finding it unfeasible to sustain their livelihoods. The plummeting prices have made it impossible to harvest crops with zero profit.

The drastic price drop has made it hard for farmers to harvest their crops, resulting in the produce being left to rot in the fields. Numerous tomato plantations remain unharvested, leaving the ripe vegetables to deteriorate in the fields.

In an attempt to cut their losses, growers are forced to sell to middlemen at severely reduced rates, hoping to mitigate the financial damage before their produce is rendered entirely worthless. With no alternative solutions or intervention by the local administration, these farmers are left to endure the consequences of a market downturn.

“We cultivate tomatoes in around 100 acres. Now, the tomatoes price has drastically fallen with the produce being sold at Rs 2/kg. We work day and night but have to endure heavy losses. We are worried about our family. There is no profit at all. Had there been a cold storage unit in our district, it would have helped farmers like us,” said a farmer, Kalandi Tarei.

Likewise, another farmer Ashok Patra said, “Here we cultivate tomato in around 50 acres. The price is so low that farmers are not even able to get back their investment or labour price. What will they do if they get Rs 2 for a kilo?”