The tomato cultivation area has shrunk drastically in the district owing to severe drought, lack of rain and absence of moisture in the air.
This has led to a dip in the yield by around 50 per cent this season.
The price of tomato is skyrocketing owing to poor supply and the growers are fetching the best price.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to the observation of the Horticulture Department officials, the price has been on an upswing for the last three weeks — between Rs. 20 and Rs. 35 a kg in the market — and the trend is expected to continue for the next three weeks.
Dipped
Growers were getting merely Rs. 6 to Rs. 8 a kg a few weeks ago, said Siddaiah, a grower in Nagamangala.
ADVERTISEMENT
The heatwave and blazing summer are taking a toll on tomato production. The crop cultivation area has significantly decreased during the current season, Gopikrishna, Assistant Horticulture Officer, told The Hindu .
Currently, tomato crop is raised only on 550 hectares against the target of 1,081 hectares.
The growers were expected to produce 52,415 tonnes from the current crops, however, production has declined to 26,660 tonnes, Mr. Gopikrishna said.
Common crop
Both hybrid and traditional varieties of tomatoes are widely grown in the rain-fed areas of Maddur, Nagamangala, Pandavapura, Malavalli, and Mandya. Growers also cultivate tomato in parts of K.R. Pet and Srirangapatna taluks.
The growers supply to Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ooty, and parts of Tamil Nadu.
The crop is raised only on 550 hectares against the target of
1,081 hectares