The steep fall in the price of tomatoes in Mecheri town near Mettur, a major vegetable market in the western region, is a matter of great concern for the farming community.
The price nose-dived because of bulk arrival from villages where harvest is in full swing.
A large number of farmers at Mallikuntham, Vellar, Thettigiripatti, Aranganur, Panapuram, Sathapadi, and its surrounding villages have raised tomatoes.
The Mecheri tomato is popular among homemakers in the State and Karnataka and Kerala for its juice content and gleaming colour.
Unlike the hybrid varieties, the Mecheri tomatoes have a distinctive taste that adds flavour to dishes.
A 12-kg basket of tomatoes is at present priced at Rs. 40.
The farmers are getting a mere Rs. 3 a kg, which is not adequate enough even for meeting the plucking and transportation cost, said a farmer.
The tomatoes are being sold at a price ranging between Rs. 6 and Rs. 8 in the open markets and uzhavar santhai in the district.
As the vegetable has a poor shelf life, it could not stored in regular godowns.
The farmers have been demanding that a cold storage facility be established in Mecheri where the tomato cultivation is very high.
