Tomato prices surge in Karnataka’s Kolar Market, echoing 2023 crisis

According to ICAR scientists, the spike is due to reduced tomato cultivation, primarily caused by leaf curl disease. This disease, spread by whiteflies carrying the Leaf Curl Bengaluru Virus (LCBV), has severely impacted tomato production in the Kolar and Chikkaballapur regions from where the tomatoes are supplied to the rest of Karnataka and other states.

On August 1, 2023, tomato prices hit a record high of Rs 2,700 per 15 kg box (Rs 180 per kg), with prices in the consumer markets ranging from Rs 250 to Rs 500 per kg. The severity of the situation prompted police protection for crops and transport, with tomato-laden trucks closely guarded in Kolar market.

Given this week’s prices in the Kolar tomato market, a similar situation may arise this year. Tomato markets in other states, including Maharashtra (Nashik), are currently stagnant, whereas the Kolar market is in season from June onwards. There's an anticipated influx of tomatoes, which is expected to maintain favourable prices for farmers. As a result, Kolar tomato growers are likely to increase cultivation from mid-May to August to maximize profits.

Tomatoes are grown in specific regions of southern India during May, June, and August. The Maharashtra Nashik market starts operating in mid-August. Until then, tomatoes from southern states supply the entire country. This year, however, minimal tomato production in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu has led to fewer tomatoes available from Kolar. Despite reduced supply, Kolar tomatoes are being shipped to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, parts of Andhra Pradesh, and other regions, causing a shortage in Kolar itself.

The Kolar Tomato Market, situated in the Kolar APMC Yard about 70 km from Bengaluru, is Asia’s second-largest tomato market after Nashik (Pimpalgaon). Spanning 25 acres, the Kolar Tomato Market seems poised to approach the record prices seen in 2023. Despite higher tomato prices, the volume of cultivation has significantly decreased, resulting in a sharp price increase that is impacting consumers.

Tracing the reason behind the price hike

The price hike is attributed to farmers producing only about a quarter of the tomatoes compared to last season. Meanwhile, demand has surged statewide because the Nashik market and other regions are experiencing significant drop in supply due to bad weather. This sudden spike in demand for tomatoes from the Kolar market, which also has a reduced supply, has caused prices to rise rapidly, explained Ramalinga Reddy, a distributor of tomatoes to other states.

“We are receiving orders from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and even from countries like Bangladesh and Nepal. This automatically leads to an abnormal price increase. It seems like a repeat of last year’s trend,” he said.

Despite Kolar receiving adequate rainfall last year, with lakes filled and groundwater levels recharged, farmers are struggling to cultivate tomatoes as they did before. The tomato plants, along with their leaves and flower buds, are withering. Even though farmers are applying sufficient fertilizers and using pesticides, the yield from thousands of acres in the Kolar region remains low.

Narayana Gowda, a farmer who cultivates tomatoes on his 4-acre land, used to harvest around 4,000 boxes of tomatoes in one season (each box weighing 15 kg). However, now he is only getting around 300 boxes per acre, similar to last year. “Even though the price of tomatoes has increased, the farmers are not benefiting from it,” he said.

Dr. Shivanand V. Hongal, Senior Scientist and Head of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Kolar, told The Federal that last year, whiteflies, which cause leaf curl disease in tomatoes, majorly damaged tomato production in the Kolar and Chikkaballapur regions. The whiteflies spread the LCBV extensively, leading to a widespread reduction in tomato yields, he said.

He emphasized that breaking the whitefly chain is crucial to stopping the spread of leaf curl disease. ICAR scientists have studied the issue and recommended changes to farming practices, suggesting that adopting alternative farming methods is the only solution to break the chain. Dr. Shivanand suggested that farmers should switch to seasonal crops such as ragi and maize instead of tomatoes. These crops are not susceptible to the virus, and whiteflies cannot reproduce under these conditions.

He further explained that crops like tomatoes, potatoes, brinjal, and chili belong to the same plant family and support the proliferation of whiteflies. Therefore, alternative farming should involve cultivating crops from different plant families, which are not affected by the virus, thereby preventing its spread.

The role of the middlemen

As tomato prices soared rapidly in the Kolar market, middlemen and distributors in the tomato trade began raking in money like never before in 2023. The sharp rise in prices suggests manipulation by middlemen and tomato distributors operating within the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs), which are overseen by the Agriculture Department. There appears to be collusion with officials from various related departments. The APMC officials are supposed to regulate these activities, but this is not happening, according to an official, who requested not be named.

Narayana Gowda, a farmer activist and member of the Karnataka State Farmers’ Association, told The Federal that both farmers and consumers are suffering while the ‘mafia’ behind the price hike holds the advantage. “Often, the tomato mafia creates an artificial scarcity in the Nasik market, leading to increased demand from other states. This allows the Kolar tomato market to hike prices. However, the tomato yield in this region is lower due to leaf curl disease, and the mafia is exploiting this situation,” he said.

However, an official from the Horticulture Department, who wishes to remain anonymous, revealed that despite issuing a report on the 2023 crisis and recommending permanent solutions such as awareness programs for alternative farming and crackdowns on middlemen mafia, there has been no effective response from the government. “We discuss these matters in meetings, but there has been no implementation in the field,” the official lamented.