India: Scarcity causes tomato prices to rise
According to market sources, while a tray or 23kg of tomatoes was selling at Rs 450 last week, it sold at Rs 680 today.
Kumar Sahu, owner of SKS, said the present market condition would continue at least for two weeks or even more as the tomatoes were now getting more supply orders from the Middle East, Arab nations and countries such as Pakistan due to the Ramazan season.
While markets in the state are hit by shortage because the supply centres are far away in Karnataka, Odisha happens to be the fourth largest producer of tomatoes in India. The state’s production of tomatoes is more than seven per cent of the national share.
However, while farmers in and around Bangalore have adopted production of vegetables in controlled condition (inside shed, net houses or green houses), in Odisha, such procedures are missing.
According to data provided by the state’s horticulture directorate, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Bihar, Bengal, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Himanchal Pradesh are the top 10 tomato-producing states.
But, Karnataka is the only state, which has taken vegetable production under the controlled condition seriously, and producing tomatoes, capsicum and French beans in ample quantity.
The directorate last year developed a centre for excellence near Deras on the city outskirts with assistance from the Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana for Rs 18 crore.
The centre has five poly-greenhouses, 24 poly-tunnel houses and seven net houses for production of various high-yielding varieties of vegetables and flowers. The protected structures have special facilities to reduce temperature up to 6°C to 7°C for off-season vegetable cultivation.
“There is a plan to educate the local farmers to produce high-yielding vegetables such as tomatoes and capsicum round the year,” said a senior official.
Source: telegraphindia.com
