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Though high tomato prices burn a hole in the pocket of the common man, a farmer from Pune in Maharashtra has become a millionaire by selling his bountiful crop of the kitchen staple for three crore rupees in just over a month while tackling various challenges.
Farmer Ishwar Jekar (36), from Bachgarh village in Junnar Tsil, Pune district, faced a tough decision to throw away his large quantity of tomatoes harvested in May this year due to low prices.
Undeterred by the setback, he continued to display unwavering determination and work tirelessly on his 12-acre tomato farm.
Now, amid skyrocketing tomato prices, Jaikkar’s hard work has paid off handsomely, turning him into a millionaire as he claims to have earned three crore rupees by selling his crop between June 11th and July 18th.
Speaking to PTI, Gaikkar said that he sold 18,000 boxes of tomatoes (each box contains 20 kg of tomatoes) at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Narayangaon in Junnar tehsil for three crore rupees.
He aims to earn another 50 rupees by selling the remainder of the product, which is approximately 4,000 boxes.
He said the total input cost for cultivation, including transportation, was Rs 40 lakh.
I have an 18 acre farm where I grow tomatoes on 12 acres. I have sold 18,000 boxes since June 11 and have so far earned Rs 3 crore.”
On June 11, he fetched a price of Rs 770 per box (Rs 37 to Rs 38 per kg), and on July 18, he sold tomatoes at Rs 2,200 per box (Rs 110 per kg).
Gaikkar, who is now happy to make a handsome profit from the produce, recalls how he had to throw away a large amount of tomatoes harvested just two months ago because of low prices.
“These are the best of times for tomato growers, but we have seen the worst of times as well. In May, I planted tomatoes on my one acre land, but I had to throw out loads of product because prices were so low. I threw the product away because the price for a box was 50 Just Rs., which means Rs 2.50 per kg.”
Jaykar also said that in 2021, he incurred losses of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 16 lakh, and also last year he just got a narrow profit margin.
“When I was throwing tomatoes in May of this year, this crop of 12 acres of land was being planted. Not deterred by this setback, I maintained my resilience and commitment to planting and continued spending on growing tomatoes.”
“I took good care of the produce even in the scorching May heat. Due to the rising temperatures, tomato cultivation in other parts took a heavy hit, but farmers like me benefited as we continued to work hard.”
Another farmer Raju Mahal, who earned more than Rs 20,000 by selling 2,500 boxes in the current season, said he was also nervous about planting tomatoes after May as the input cost per acre was around Rs 3.5 lakh. But he went ahead with cultivation, and was earning good profits now.
There was a boom in the market again, said Akshay Solat, an agricultural market trader in Narayangaon, who bought Gaykar’s produce at Rs 2,400 per box.
“I have been in this business for the past 15 years, but I have never seen such a boom in the tomato market. Once there was a rate of Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,600 per box, but such consistency in terms of price in the tomato market has never been seen.”
However, he said that only a few farmers have made huge profits this season, including farmers from Pachghar, Otur, Ambegavhan and Rokdi.
Sanjay Kali, Chairman of Narayangaon APMC said that generally in this season their market receives 1.5 to 2 lakh boxes of tomatoes per day, but in the current season, it is down to 30,000 to 35,000 boxes per day.
“In the past two years, farmers incurred huge losses and were unable to recover production costs, which led to lower production. During the summer, the tomato crop was suffering from diseases, forcing farmers to abandon tomato plantations.”
“Usually, I get tomatoes from all over the state, but due to the above reasons, the market committee receives the product from Junnar and Ambegaon tehsils. These are the reasons why tomato prices have skyrocketed and demand is high.”
Since tomato production has taken a hit in north India, Kali said, traders from other states come to the market in Narayangaon to buy the kitchen staple.
The National Federation of Cooperative Consumers (NCCF) and the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Marketing (NAFED) last week started selling tomatoes at a reduced price of Rs 90 per kg in Delhi NCR and Patna in a bid to provide relief to consumers amid the price hike.
The center directed the two cooperatives to procure tomatoes from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra for distribution in major consumption centers, where retail prices recorded maximum increase last month.
“Although NCCF and NAFED have started selling tomatoes at a discount, the government is buying produce at Rs 110 or Rs 120 per kg, so farmers will continue to get what they are getting now,” Kali said.
(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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