Tomato Prices Plunge in Karnataka Amid Glut, Farmers Demand ₹30/kg Support Price

Tomato farmers in the Mulbagal taluk of Kolar district are facing distress as prices have crashed sharply at Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis, dropping from ₹500-550 per crate to ₹130-170 in July, according to traders and farmers.

On Saturday, a crate of 15 kg of tomatoes fetched ₹130-170 at the N. Vaddahalli APMC, a major hub for tomato trading. During the peak season from June to September, tomatoes from this market are exported to Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kolkata, and Delhi.

Traders at Bengaluru's wholesale and retail markets—including K.R. Market, Yeshwanthpur, K.R. Puram, and Madiwala—confirmed the price slump over the past ten days. Syed Mushtaq, secretary of the Merchants Association in K.R. Market, said, “Now, we are selling tomatoes at ₹10 to ₹15 per kg in the wholesale market, against the earlier price of ₹60 to ₹70 per kg.”

Khaleelullah, a tomato merchant at Yeshwanthpur market, attributed the decline to a glut: “For the last ten days, the retail price for one kg nati tomato is ₹20, and for the hybrid variety, it is ₹15 to ₹17. The decrease in prices is due to a glut in the market.”

Farmers have urged Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to conduct a study and request the Union government to provide a support price of ₹30 per kg. Yalavalli Prabhakar, a farmer from Mulbagal, recounted his plight: “In the last week of June, the price of one crate of tomatoes was ₹250 to ₹350, which was decent enough to recover expenses. Now, the price has sharply declined to ₹130 to ₹170. On Saturday, around 290 boxes of tomatoes from my farm were auctioned at only ₹130 each. It was depressing.”

Prabhakar added, “We cannot leave the tomatoes in the field because if they rot, we will not get a good yield again. We spend ₹3,50,000 to cultivate tomatoes. The prices of allied products have also increased. The paper roll used as biodegradable mulch has risen from ₹2,000 to ₹3,600 per roll. Fertilizer prices have increased from ₹2,500 to ₹4,500 per 50-kg bag.”

Another farmer, Venkatappa, said that this year's tomato produce was better with no diseases, but the price crash has turned expectations into disappointment. “For the last three years, tomatoes suffered from Leaf Curl Virus and other diseases. We thought all farmers in Kolar district would earn a good price. However, it has turned out to be dark days. Some farmers have dumped tomatoes on the APMC walkway after getting low prices.”

An official from the Vadahalli APMC explained that the tomatoes arriving there are naati or desi tomatoes, which rot quickly, limiting buyers. “Tomatoes sold at the Srinivaspura APMC are seed tomatoes, less juicy, purchased by processing units. Here, buyers are fewer. The price has decreased because of high supply and low demand. We also receive produce from farmers in bordering Andhra Pradesh. Once stocks from Andhra Pradesh reduce, prices may stabilise.”

Data from the official shows that 56,179 quintals of tomatoes were received from July 1 to 11, compared to 1,31,662 quintals in the entire month of June.

Ibrahim Maigur, Director of the Horticulture Department, said, “We will speak to farmers and see what financial assistance can be given.”