A day after the prices of tomatoes in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district dropped steeply, forcing farmers at the Pathikonda market yard to dump their entire produce and stage a protest, the state government has stepped in.
"With immediate orders from YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, tomato purchase has been restarted at Pathikonda market yard in Kurnool district. He has sought information about the price drop on tomatoes from officials and instructed the marketing department to start purchase of tomatoes," a press release from the Chief Minister's Office said.
According to media reports, the farmers were only getting a little over Rs 1 per kg, which is grossly insufficient. Stating that they could not even break even for the transport cost with the price they were getting, the farmers sat on a protest and demanded government intervention. Visuals had also shown cows, donkeys and other animals eating the unclaimed tomatoes.
The farmers also alleged that agents and traders were attempting to buy their produce outside the market yard for lower prices and to avoid government oversight, while they insisted that they wanted to sell their crop inside.
Andhra Pradesh is a major producer of tomatoes and this year saw a good harvest for many farmers. Agriculture officials stated that the prices dropped as the production and supply increased.
The CMO said that 50 tons of tomatoes had been purchased so far, and the marketing department had also purchased an additional five tons using price stabilization funds.
Following the incident, Marketing Department Commissioner P S Pradyumna also intervened and said that now, traders were also buying tomatoes in the market.
The CMO statement went on to add, "Officials told the Chief Minister that they have deregulated fruits and vegetables so that the farmers can sell them without paying any marker fee and agent commission. The CM told the officials that no farmer should face problems at any cost."
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Horticulture Commissioner has been asked by the Centre to dispatch fresh tomatoes, as there has hardly been any damage to the crop in the state, to increase supply in New Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
The order came after a meeting of an inter-ministerial committee on Friday, headed by the Consumer Affairs Secretary, to review the price and the availability of onions, tomatoes and pulses and ways to augment their supplies.
IANS inputs