The biggest vegetable market in Bowenpally, Telangana, on Wednesday saw an angry farmer dump a lorry load of tomatoes as he could not recover even the cost of transporting them.
The farmer from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, came to the Bowenpally market two days ago expecting good returns. All that he was offered for a box of 25 kg of tomatoes was Rs. 60.
The frustrated farmer dumped all 350 boxes he had and returned home empty-handed.
“This is not the first case. We have been witnessing this since demonetisation came into effect,” said Srinivas, a clerk with a commission agent.
He said the Anantapur farmer preferred to sell the produce in Hyderabad as there were no takers in small markets in the Rayalaseema region. “He had to pay Rs. 2,000 for the ‘hamalis’ [workers who load and unload goods] alone. He will not be able to recover those costs.”
‘Daily affair’
Mr. Srinivas said a bag of 80 kg carrots would earlier fetch Rs. 600 to 700 but the farmers are not getting more than Rs. 200 now, thanks to the cash crunch. “You can find heaps of vegetables thrown in the yard when the market closes at 10 p.m.”
The Special Grade Secretary of the market, Y.V. Padma Harsha, however, said the person who dumped the tomatoes was a middleman, not farmer. She said he did not get a trading licence and was, therefore, trying to tarnish the market’s image.
