Why tomato crops in Kolar dwindled and prices hit the roof

There is a lot of heartburn over the skyrocketing prices of the common culinary vegetable/fruit – the tomato. However, according to media reports, the sharp decline in tomato yields in Karnataka which has gradually driven its costs upwards, is largely due to a virus.

Tomato crop yields have dropped in Kolar and neighbouring tomato-growing districts in Karnataka because the crop has been hit by the tomato leaf curl disease, stated a Deccan Herald report.

Farmers who expected 15 rounds of harvest from the tomato crop are having to settle only with three or four rounds.

A report done by scientists from the ICAR-IIHR, based on a field based study, found that more than 50 per cent of the crop in Kolar’s villages have been affected by this virus. The quality of the tomato has also been affected, which is impacting deliveries to other states like Delhi.

Sharp decline in tomato arrivals at Kolar APMC

The DH report further said that the Kolar Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) which is a major supplier of tomato to the rest of the country from June to September, used to supply nearly 3 lakh boxes of tomatoes to 10 states, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is now only supplying 68,912 boxes.

No other region in India grows such large quantities of tomatoes in this season.

Also read: Tomato prices will cool down in next 15 days, normalise in a month: Govt

This June, the Kolar APMC is seeing a marked drop in tomato arrivals. Only 3.2 lakh quintals of tomatoes was available this June, as compared to 5.45 lakh quintals in the same month in 2022. In fact, what is worrying is that tomato supply had been dwindling since 2021 when it was around 9.37 lakh quintals in the month of June, said the report.

All of which has led to tomato boxes shooting up to ₹350 to ₹1,700 a box, while it used to be ₹300 to ₹1,250 a box.

More trouble for tomato farmers

Tomatoes are all set to get dearer, as the standing crop stocks are disappearing and the new crop takes 70-100 days to harvest.

Today, farmers are having to cope with the steep cost of growing tomatoes. Even as the cost of tomato cultivation is around ₹2.5 lakh an acre, farmers are having to spray chemical pesticides and insecticides twice a week to contain the disease. The spray costs have doubled to ₹15,000 because of the disease, pointed out farmers in the report.

Also watch: Tomato prices shoot up above Rs 80 | The Federal

Last year, lack of rainfall led to discolouration in tomatoes and this year the disease has ruined nearly 50 per cent of the crop in Kolar and Chickaballapur, confirmed the department of horticulture in the report.

According to the horticulture department in Kolar, lack of rainfall and high temperatures have created the right conditions for the white fly to thrive which causes the leaf curl disease. The water from the KC Valley project is also increasing the incidents of pests and diseases in Kolar.

Farmers want the horticulture department to help them fight the leaf curl disease which was seen six months ago, while the department want the farmers to diversify their crops.