MUMBAI: A farmer decided to feed his entire tomato harvest to his cows, after his relentless efforts to secure fair returns for his two acres of crop left him with a mere Rs 4.5 per kilogram in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district.
The farmer, named Dangat, invested a substantial sum of Rs 2 lakhs into his two-acre tomato field, only to be disheartened by the meager returns. Despite dedicating his efforts to cultivating these tomatoes, the market offered him no respite.
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“The Central government’s price reduction for tomatoes has left us struggling even after 76 years of Independence. Farmers in this country continue to grapple with the challenge of securing fair prices for their hard-earned produce,” he lamented.
However, just two months ago, tomato prices were at an all-time high, selling at Rs 160 per kilogram in retail markets across Mumbai and nearly Rs 200/kg in Delhi. The situation was the same in most parts of the country, where tomatoes are being sold at a sharp premium over their usual rates.
A frustrated farmer in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, fed his entire tomato harvest to cows after not getting fair returns.
Read full story here: https://t.co/JrKOEAOYEu— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) September 20, 2023
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In response to the high prices, the Central government directed the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) to sell tomatoes at ₹40 per kg for retail consumers.
Despite their hard work and dedication, farmers often struggle to secure fair prices for their produce due to a number of factors, including fluctuating market prices, exploitation by middlemen, and inadequate government support.