Dharmapuri farmers protest against the drop in price of Tomatoes

Dharmapuri farmers dropped down almost 1 tonne of tomatoes outside the market  as a sign of protest against the fall in price of tomatoes which are being sold for Rs 1.

Dharmapuri Palacode market has been the tomato hub where the nearby farmers bring around 200 tonnes of tomato every day for selling. The tomatoes are exported from here to Erode, Dindukkul, Trichy, Namakkal and Karnataka.

As the production of tomatoes has increased, the price has come down. Farmers are facing severe loss due to this price reduction as the returns doesn't cover the amount they have invested to sell the tomatoes. They are charged Rs 5 along with commission per 20kg to sell it in the market and around 20rs per basket for transportation. Moreover, they said that the prices are reduced citing the bad state of the tomatoes.

Fearing the loss and the price reduction, many farmers haven't harvested tomatoes from their farms for sales.

The farmers blamed the lack of a fixed selling price for their ordeal and felt that the Tamil Nadu government purchasing the tomatoes directly from them could be the only solution.