Tomatoes sold at nearly Re 1 per Kg in Odisha! Farmers face ‘distress sale’

While rising prices continue to burden consumers across markets, a shocking situation has emerged in Keonjhar district of Odisha, where farmers are being forced to sell tomatoes at an extremely low price of around Re 1 per kilogram, sources said on Saturday.

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The alleged distress sale was seen in the Anandapur region, where tomato growers say they are struggling due to the absence of proper markets and storage facilities. Farmers claim that a single crate containing around 30 kilograms of tomatoes is being purchased by traders for merely Rs 50, which effectively brings the price down to nearly Re 1 per kilogram.

Despite a good harvest this season, growers say their efforts are going in vain. Farmers who endured harsh weather conditions to cultivate the crop are now facing severe financial losses. Many say they had taken loans in the hope of earning a livelihood, but are now under immense pressure due to the poor returns.

Tomato cultivation is widespread in more than 40 villages across Anandapur and Ghasipura blocks. Residents say a tomato processing facility named ‘Bilati Odisha’ factory was once set up in the district with support from a cooperative bank, which could have helped process and market the produce. However, the unit has remained closed for several years.

Agriculture officials say the subdivision has three cold rooms but lacks proper cold storage facilities, making it difficult to preserve tomatoes for longer durations. Absence of a food processing unit and limited access to markets further aggravated the crisis.

With tonnes of harvested tomatoes and no fair price in sight, farmers now face growing uncertainty over how they will recover their investment and sustain their families.

“The season is at a peak now, which means that at the time they harvested, this is the last phase of their harvest. At this time, the market price will naturally go down. They were supposed to make a profit, but harvesting started from January onwards. Nothing can be done for that in the market. There's no MSP for it, right? It will fluctuate according to the market price. We cannot control the market at this crucial time,” Anandapur additional horticulture officer (AHO), Mausam Kumar Mohanty, said to OTV when contacted.

Reported By: Muna Singh