TAD NewsDesk, Kurnool: Amidst rising protests and tensions in the agriculture sector, tomato prices have dropped to Re 1 in the largest market for tomato in Andhra Pradesh after Madanapalle in Chittoor district.
Most of the agents are making out of market settlements and providing only Rs2 – Rs 3 on per kg of tomato. And this happened even though Rythu Bazar prices per kg was Rs. 15 and above per kg.
On Sunday however, the price was even less at a bar of Re 1 or even less.
While this is so, Pathikonda marketing ADM Satyanarayna Chowdary maintained that at present quality tomato was selling at Rs 5 to Rs 7 per kg in Pathikonda market yard. He acknowledged that though the model price is Rs 3 to Rs 4 per kg, the minimum rate offered in the yard was Re 1 on Sunday.
A farmer posited that though on the surface the price was Re 1 per kg, what the farmers were actually getting was even below 50 paise.
The Pathikonda marketing ADM said nearly 18 tonnes of tomatoes have arrived at the Pathikonda market yard on Sunday. He said that the other markets like Alur, Aspari and Yemmiganur received only 2–3 tonnes of tomato.
A market official blamed the untimely rains for this downfall in the quality of tomatoes.
Source: Deccan Chronicle
