Andhra Pradesh: Amid the sharp surge in tomato prices, a farmer couple from Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district earned a whopping Rs 3 crore by selling nearly 40,000 boxes of the staple vegetable in a 45-day span.
The man was identified as Chandramouli, in the first week of April he owned a 22-acre farming land where they cultivated a unique variety of tomato plants. They employed advanced methods like mulching and micro-irrigation to accelerate the yield, achieving success with a bountiful tomato harvest by the end of June.
Chandramouli said, “From the produce I got so far, I have earned Rs 4 crore. Overall, I had to invest Rs 1 crore in my 22 acres of land to get the yield and this includes commission and transportation charges. So, profits remain to be Rs 3 crore.”
Selling his produce near his hometown at the Kolar market in Karnataka, the farmer managed to sell 40,000 crates of tomatoes in the last 45 days. During this period, the price of a 15 kg crate of tomatoes fluctuated between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500.
On the other hand, in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, renowned for having one of India’s largest tomato markets, the price of first-grade tomatoes reached an astonishing Rs 200 per kilogram on Friday, July 28th.
On Friday, a large influx of traders gathered at the market to purchase tomatoes, with the first-grade ones being particularly sought after for export to northern cities.
Notably, just two weeks ago, a 25 kg crate of tomatoes fetched Rs 3,000, equivalent to Rs 120 per kilogram. However, the surge in demand from other states has caused the price to surge to Rs 200 per kilogram. According to officials, this upward trend in tomato prices is expected to persist until the end of August.
