Demand has not gone up despite low yields, which is attributed to bumper crop in neighbouring Anantapur district

Hundreds of tomato growers in the Madanapalle division are a worried lot with the prices plummeting to ₹1.60 a kg on Monday as against ₹6 last week, while the arrivals into the market at Madanpalle, considered the largest in South India, continue to be below 500 metric tonnes a day, as against the regular figure of 800 tonnes and beyond for the season.

The price which touched a considerably high at ₹20-15 a kg right from the start of the year witnessed a gradual fall from July onward. The failure of rains from June till now has a telling effect on the yield, leaving the market trend disappointing. Another worry is that despite low yields, the demand has not gone up.

Market committee supervisor Vinay attributed low demand at the Madanapalle market, coming as a sudden development, to the bumper yields at the adjoining Anantapur district.

“The private market in Anantapur is getting stocks of more than 1.25 lakh crates a day [each crate at 10-15 kg]. The production elsewhere in the South is not disappointing, as against the previous trends, which kept the Madanapalle market at a premier position ruling the roost,” he said.

Weather effect

The cloudy weather all over Rayalaseema, though with deficit rainfall, has led to steep fall in the consumption of tomatoes, which in turn has led to stagnation of stocks and fall in the price. The traders said the farmers were now totally depending on the usual exports to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattishgarh, New Delhi and U.P.

Positive development

They said though the market trend was disappointing, “It is a welcome sign that the tomato quality has touched its peak this year, with superb size and taste and shelf life. The percentage of damage due to weather and transport has come down,” a trader said.

The deficit rainfall all over the division is expected to adversely impact the tonnage of the forthcoming crops, due to evaporation of soil moisture. The threat of heavy rains with the ensuing north-west monsoon is also lingering among farmers.