Cattle allowed to feed on lady’s fingers, tomato as their prices plummet

Farmers of Manur block have cultivated vegetables, including lady’s fingers and tomato, on over 250 acres after spending ₹45,000 per acre for procuring seeds, ploughing, weeding and spraying pesticides

Several farmers who are only left with the option of selling lady’s fingers and tomato at a throwaway price of ₹4 and ₹5 per kg respectively have allowed the vegetables to rot in the fields as they cannot even get the expenses they have incurred in raising the plants.

Farmers of rain-fed Manur block have cultivated vegetables, including lady’s fingers and tomato, on over 250 acres after spending ₹45,000 per acre for procuring seeds, ploughing, weeding and spraying pesticides. Since the northeast monsoon has brought only erratic drizzle to the district, the prevailing weather conditions are conducive for growing vegetables.

“Since the yield has exceeded our expectations, the traders procure lady’s fingers for ₹4 a kg and tomato for ₹5 a kg. Since we cannot meet the expenses, including the plucking expenses, we have decided to leave the vegetables in the fields and allow our cattle to feed on them,” said Agni Madan, a farmer in Pallamadai near Manur.

As lady’s fingers and tomato have to be harvested on alternate days, the expenses being incurred by the growers towards plucking are so high, he added.

“Usually, we would be getting ₹20 per kg for lady’s fingers while tomato would fetch ₹40 a kg during this season and these procurement prices would prevail till mid-January (up to Pongal). This year, the production has increased manifold to bring down the prices drastically. Hence, we are not plucking tomato and lady’s fingers and our cattle are enjoying the fresh vegetables,” said Kaliyammal of Pallamadai.

In all, the vegetable farmers had suffered a loss of over ₹50,000 per acre this year, they said.

A video showing a farmer dumping a truckload of harvested lady’s fingers on the roadside after the traders in Tirunelveli Town Vegetable Market offered only ₹4 a kg is being shared on social media.