Farmers in the Marandahalli district of Tamil Nadu crushed tomatoes and plants because they were not receiving a fair price for their produce. The producers explained that the farmgate price for tomatoes was only Rs 2 per kilogram, so they opted not to harvest them.
"To harvest tomatoes, we have to pay 450 per day per laborer. If we sell the produce for Rs 2 per kg, we won't even get back the money we spent on harvesting. If we harvest, we will simply lose money," said P Thangavelu, a Marandahalli farmer.
They decided to use the product as an organic fertilizer because of the considerable financial loss, he claimed.
"Normally, we plow the ground to prepare it for the next crop. We chose to crush the plants together with the produce this time and use them as organic fertilizer for the following harvest."
In some areas, residents refused to allow the farmers to destroy the crop.
"I have harvested at least 5kg tomatoes after gaining permission from the landlord," claimed Shantha, a resident.
Tomatoes are widely grown in the district's Palacode, Marandahalli, and Karimangalam villages.
Tomatoes are grown on over 10,000 acres in these towns, according to a farmer.
"The harvested produce will be brought to Palacode market, from where it will be delivered to areas like Chennai, Hosur, Coimbatore, and Bengaluru," says the farmer.
According to M Suresh, a merchant at the Palacode tomato market, they transport 100 tons of tomatoes per day to various locations.
"Three months ago, tomatoes were sold for Rs 100 per kilogram. It is now priced at 1-2 per kilogram."
To avoid financial loss, the growers sought that the state government set a minimum support price for tomatoes. "It will help us a lot if the government guarantees a base price."
