Low prices hit tomato growers at mandis in Maharashtra's Nashik

Tomato growers in Maharashtra are at receiving end due to fall in prices of their produce in wholesale market. On the other hand traders are making money by selling tomatoes at Rs 15-20 per kg.

Nashik: Tomato growers in Maharashtra are ruing their lot these days. They are not getting right price for their produce because wholesale prices have plummeted in different Mandis of the state. On the other hand, traders are making money by selling tomatoes at Rs 15-20 per kg.

A farmer receives Rs 40 to 50 rupees per carton containing 20 kg of tomatoes after selling them in marketing committees. Whereas tomatoes are sold in the retail markets in the price ranging from Rs 15 to Rs 18 per kg. Hence it has become a costly affair for farmers to pluck tomatoes from their farmlands and bringing them to marketing committees for selling their produce.

Read:Tomato prices soar, touch Rs 100/kg in Chennai

Farmers have been spending Rs 45 for plucking a lot of 20 kg of tomatoes, packaging and sending it for marketing mandis for sale. But in return, they are not receiving right price at the Mandis.

Tomatoes are grown in large quantities in Nashik district. Farmers of this region in Maharashtra are in distress because after spending lakhs of rupees as agricultural input cost, they are at a loss after selling their produce.