With horticulture sector suffering huge damage due toadverse weather conditions this rainy season, prices of agri-produces like tomato which have already started skyrocketing, will continue to remain higher throughout the year as compared to that of the previous year.
The agricultural scientists have expressed hope that the prices of the same commonly used agri-produce, will come down slightly from August after arrival of the tomato from Nasik and Banglore
to Haldwani regulated market, yet the prices of the same produce would be higher this year as compared to that of the previous year.
According to the scientists of the GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, the prices of tomato will be in the range of Rs 1,800 per quintal and Rs 2,000 per quintal at farm level during August-2013 and Rs 1,500 per quintal and
Rs 1,800 per quintal during September 2013, while the prices of the same produce will range between Rs 1,400 per quintal and Rs 1,600 per quintal in October 2013.
Hence, the farmers engaged in tomato farming have been advised to harvest their crops as per the price forecast, said Dr. Anil Kumar, senior scientists of the GBPUAT who led a team of scientists to conduct market survey of Haldwani regulated market, a major market for tomato in the Uttarakhand and made the forecast of the tomato prices which would prevail throughout the year.
Adverse weather conditions are the major factors leading to escalation of tomato prices this year as rains have badly damaged the crop creating short supply of it to the market, maintained Kumar.
Scientists of the GBPUAT have said India ranks third among tomato producing countries, contributing around 8 percent of the world's total tomato production.
This crop is grown over 6 lakh hectares in India ranking second among the countries having maximum area under cultivation for tomato.
But the yield of tomato per hectare in India is quite low which is around 18 tonne per hectare as compared to USA, Italy and Spain where it ranges between 50 tonne per hectare and 60 tonne per hectare.
Major tomato growing States in India are Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh which together account for about 82.20 per cent of India's total tomato production. Similarly, tomato is
widely produced throughout Uttarakhand i.e. both in hills and plains.
Nainital, Dehradun, U.S. Nagar and Haridwar are the four major tomato producing districts growing about 63 per cent of total tomato production in the State.