In a poignant illustration of the struggles faced by farmers, Gadilingappa, a tomato farmer from Sirwar in Ballari district, dumped his produce by the roadside after failing to meet even the basic costs of cultivation and transportation.
Unrecoverable Costs
Gadilingappa revealed that tomatoes were being sold at just ₹10 per kilogram in the market, while traders offered only ₹80-100 per crate. “I can’t even recover the cost of labour and transportation,” he lamented.
The farmer had invested approximately ₹1 lakh to cultivate tomatoes on 1.5 acres of land. However, his efforts were severely impacted by the tomato spotted wilt disease, which developed due to weather fluctuations caused by a recent cyclone.
Cyclone’s Impact on Crops
The cyclone has disrupted weather conditions across the state, leading to a significant drop in tomato prices. Many farmers have been similarly affected, facing devastating losses as their crops fail to fetch adequate returns in the market.
A Broader Crisis
This incident highlights the precarious position of small and marginal farmers in Karnataka, who are often at the mercy of unpredictable weather, diseases, and fluctuating market prices. Many are calling for increased government support, including better pricing mechanisms, subsidies, and robust disaster relief programs to address such crises.
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