Tomato farmers in turmoil   Premium

Tomato farmers in Madanapalle, India, have faced volatile prices for years, ranging from ₹2-300/kg. In 2014, PM Modi promised processing units, but they remain unbuilt. With other states engaging in tomato cultivation, the monopoly of Madanapalle is fading. Farmers are left to take their own risks, with no government help. Younger generations are migrating and aging farmers cling to their traditional vocation. Prices have impacted households, forcing them to switch to cheaper substitutes. Traders are wary of the market volatility. Experts suggest alternate crop patterns, and the youth are importing tomatoes from northern states. Tomato farmers remain resilient, with the motto: "If not now, next season."

During the devastating 2015 floods in south India that wreaked havoc along the coasts of Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh between November 9 and December 16, tomatoes earned the moniker of ‘red gold’. Tomato prices, which had barely surpassed ₹50 per kilogram earlier, skyrocketed to ₹300 per kilogram in the open market. With fields submerged due to relentless rains, tomato farmers in the Madanapalle division, now in Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya district (previously in the Chittoor district), struggled to salvage the crop and export stocks. Yet, they made a profit, simply because of the high prices.

Eight years later, in 2023, tomato prices are once again showing a similar trend, having reached ₹250 a kilogram. This time, the culprit is the heatwave and a prolonged summer, unprecedented in the typically cool climate of the Madanapalle region that is over 600 metres above sea level. Average temperatures range between 30 and 33 degrees Centigrade, but this year touched 37 degrees, impacting the tomato crop. Summer cultivation in Madanapalle is the most profitable, while from September to February, yields are lower by 40%.

According to Horticulture department officials, there are about 10,000 tomato farmers in the Madanapalle region, cultivating an 8,000-hectare expanse in Annamayya district. During COVID-19, total cultivation area diminished by 2,000 hectares as lockdowns and disruptions in transportation played havoc in the lives of the farmers, who refrained from sowing fresh crop, between 2020 and 2022.

Yields, which exceeded 2,000 tonnes daily before the COVID-19 pandemic, have gradually dwindled to below 300 tonnes over the past two years. During the lockdowns and due to the absence of transport, farmers were forced to abandon large uncultivated areas. Most faced heavy losses. This impact fell was felt in 2022 and 2023 too, as they could not put together the required capital for new crops. The tomato growers are yet to fully recover from those circumstances when they had to leave their ‘red gold’ to wither in the fields.

Ten years ago, the investment per acre was ₹50,000 per season; now, it is ₹2.5 lakh per acre, say farmers. So though the yield has also increased from a decade ago — up from 8 tonnes per acre to 25 per acre during a bumper crop, the costs offset the earnings.

End of a monopoly

Until about a decade ago, tomato farmers in this region enjoyed a monopoly as the top exporters to nearly all States in India and various Southeast Asian countries. A decade ago, the total tomato yield of Madanapalle region was 2 lakh tonnes throughout the year for three crops. Now, the total production is 6 lakh tonnes.