Tomatoes strikes a ton again due to unseasonal rain, virus attack

Nagpur: Tomatoes have once again hit a ton. The vegetable, which often makes headlines due to the sharp ups and downs in its prices, has become dearer in less than a week.
A bout of unseasonal rains in areas around Nashik, where it is grown on a large scale is the reason. A virus attack has also reduced the supply jacking up the rates, say farmers.
A crate of 20 kg is fetching Rs1,500 to Rs1,600 in the farm produce markets of Nashik.This directly translates to Rs100 to Rs120 per kg at the retail vendors' end in Nagpur. In bazaars like Gokulpeth or Cotton Market, vendors could be seen selling the lowest grade of tomatoes for Rs70 to Rs80 a kg.
Market sources say it's a temporary phenomenon and the rates would ease in a month or a fortnight. However this also comes at a time when the supply has dwindled in other states too.
"Rains for nearly a fortnight in the tomato-growing pockets of Nashik have damaged the crop. With nearly one-fourth of the produce salvaged, the rates shot up by over double in a week's time," says Shankar Dikhale, a tomato farmer from Nashik.
As per Dikhale, this year farmers had reduced the area under tomato cultivation due to poor rates they got in the previous season. "Now, as the crop has been damaged, the supply has further dwindled, jacking up the rates," he says.
The tomato grower points out this has also come as a blessing in disguise for a section of farmers. "With a meagre crop left, the farmers don't have to incur much labour cost for plucking, and the current rates are more than enough to not only make good the crop loss but also leave a hefty profit," he says.
"It's a mixed impact; if some farmers are profiting, there are others who are at losses due to heavy damage to the crop," says Vilas Shinde, president of Sahyadri Farms, one of the biggest buyers of tomatoes. Shinde says the rates may improve after the fresh crop arrives.
Fresh supply from Western parts of Nashik is expected in a month, but there are reports of lower yield even there, say sources.
Apart from Nashik, the bulk traders in Nagpur get their supplies from Madanapalle in Andhra, Chintamani in Karnataka, as well as smaller hubs in Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh and pockets of Amravati.
"These days, we are getting supplies only from Amravati and Chhindwara," said a trader at Cotton Market.
"The season is nearing an end, and the supplies have come down to barely 100 trucks a day as against an average of 2,000 during this time. Even here, the rains have affected the yield," says Srinivasulu Reddy, a trader in Madanapalle.
Soyabean fetching below MSP
As farmers harvest soyabean in Vidarbha, the market rates are below the minimum support price (MSP). The market rates are in the range of Rs3,800 to Rs4,300 a quintal, said sources. In contrast, the MSP is Rs4,892 a quintal. Traders say the govt should open procurement centres at the earliest so that the farmers can get better rates during the festival season. Meanwhile, the cotton harvest has been delayed by another week.