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Friday March 29, 2024

Tomato farmers face trouble as prices plummet

By Shahid Shah
April 01, 2021

KARACHI: Tomato farmers have slammed the lack of any horticulture policy and urged the government to provide necessary infrastructure for storage and value-addition along with guaranteed crop sales if they wanted them to continue sowing tomatoes.

Speaking to The News about rates, Atta Chandio, a grower, said the tomato crop was passing through its last leg in Badin due to increasing heat. “Rate increased to Rs100 to Rs150 per 15kg few days back, but now it is being sold at Rs50/15kg.”

Production of tomato increased in Badin over the last three years. However, price remains a problem as traders were the ones who fixed lower rates. Chandio said lower price was understandable when production was high, but at the end of the season price should technically go up.

This volatility was forcing tomato growers to shift to cotton, chilli and Psyllium or ispaghula.

Leader of Pakistan Fruits and Vegetable Association (PFVA), Waheed Ahmed, said prices of tomato varied between Rs5/kg to Rs400/kg in the market, which was a huge difference.

“Tomato sown in summer in Sindh is harvested in October and September, but due to climate change these are now the months when it rains in the province,” he said, explaining the problems of infrastructure as well. “The crop cannot be stocked. It needs cold storages that do not exist.”

He suggested adopting tunnel farming to avoid losses in case of rain in Sindh and asked for a subsidy.

Ahmed urged government to focus on tomato farming in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as the province was ideal for the crop during summer.

“Pakistan grows low quality tomato, which can neither be exported nor processed into pulp. Its quality including colour is poor,” he said, while pointing out the need to improve the seed.

“World tomato pulp market is worth around $6 to $7 billion, but Pakistan’s share is almost zero,” he said, urging for better policies.

PFVA was planning on starting farming models, where growers would be provided seed and drop irrigation system with guaranteed crop sales.

Sindh Abadgar Board Senior Vice President Mehmood Nawaz Shah too was of the view that quality of tomato in Pakistan was poor. “It is sold for above Rs200/kg from September to November, but nobody needs tomato from February to April. Despite of provinces being responsible for policy making after the passing of the 18th Amendment, no horticulture police existed in Sindh,” he added.

It was the responsibility of both the federal and provincial governments to improve seed quality and come up with policy so necessary infrastructure and mechanism could be developed to improve the crop, add value, discourage imports, as well as protect growers, consumers and traders.

Haji Shah Jahan, a trader at Karachi Wholesale Vegetable Market, said tomato

was still arriving in bulk, which would continue for around 20 days from Thatta and surrounding areas. Following that harvesting would start in Larkana and Jacobabad districts.

He too held lack of agriculture policy responsible for the suffering of growers. “Tomato growers are small farmers,” he said. “Around 20 days back, prices were so low that even transportation charges were unbearable for growers, so they destroyed the crop.”

Guaranteed crop sales could be a solution to save farmers and also store surplus production, he added.

He said every government said it would improve the supply chain from the farm to the market but they did not develop infrastructure and did not support farmers.

He said those people who had suffered due to lower prices would not grow tomato next year and there would be shortage. It happens after every two to three years. “Around 10 percent people benefit when there is a shortage of produce,” Jahan said.