5 months ago
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Tomato arrivals astatine the Madanapalle wholesale marketplace successful Annamayya territory plummeted to a specified 45 tonnes connected Saturday (January 10), marking the lowest regular accomplishment recorded truthful acold successful the 2025–26 season, according to marketplace officials.
Despite the drastic autumn successful arrivals, prices remained subdued, projecting anemic request from large consuming markets.
Grade-I tomatoes were sold astatine ₹30 per kilogram connected Saturday, portion the second-grade assortment was priced astatine ₹22 per kilogram. Just a week ago, Grade-I tomatoes were selling astatine astir ₹47 per kg, traders said.
Madanapalle, which holds helium grounds arsenic Asia’s largest tomato-growing belt, is presently successful the last signifier of the Rabi harvesting season. Post-winter crops are inactive successful the seedling stage, and marketplace arrivals are expected to stay bladed for astatine slightest 2 much months, until the pre-summer harvest begins.
Market officials attributed the terms slump, contempt little supplies, to a crisp diminution successful inter-State exports. “Tomato cultivation has expanded phenomenally successful bluish States this year, reducing their dependence connected Madanapalle supplies,” a selling authoritative said.
Farmers added that Tamil Nadu markets are presently flooded with tomatoes from Karnataka, portion Hyderabad markets are mostly sourcing nutrient from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. As a result, Madanapalle’s herb commercialized is presently confined mostly to section markets successful Tirupati, Annamayya and Kadapa districts, with lone constricted quantities being dispatched to Bengaluru and Chennai.
“Yield has dropped drastically, but prices person not responded accordingly. The deficiency of extracurricular request is hurting farmers,” said Kokkanti Manju, a herb grower of Valmikipuram mandal.
Officials observed that prices whitethorn stay volatile until caller harvests participate the marketplace astir March.
