Belagavi: A sharp fall in vegetable prices has pushed farmers in parts of Karnataka into severe distress, with growers in Belagavi throwing coriander on the roadside and tomato farmers in Davanagere leaving their crop unharvested after prices plunged to just Rs 1 a kg.
In Belagavi’s Raibag, coriander prices have fallen drastically within days. The crop, which was selling at around Rs 10 to Rs 15 per bundle two days ago, fetched around Rs 10 for three bundles on Saturday evening. By Sunday, prices had fallen further to just Rs 3 to Rs 5 for a bundle.
With the returns failing to cover even harvesting and transportation expenses, distressed farmers reportedly dumped their coriander produce on the roadside. The sharp decline has left growers worried as they are unable to recover the money spent on cultivation.
Farmers said they had invested considerable amounts in seeds, fertilisers, labour, irrigation and other agricultural inputs. However, the sudden collapse in market prices has made it economically unviable to harvest and transport the produce to markets.
A similar crisis has hit tomato growers in Davanagere district, where prices have reportedly crashed to just Rs 1 per kg.
Farmers in Davanagere, Channagiri and Honnali taluks are among those severely affected. Several growers have reportedly invested between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1 lakh in cultivating tomato crops. With the market price falling to a negligible level, farmers say they cannot even recover a fraction of their investment.
As harvesting itself involves labour and transportation costs, some farmers have decided against plucking the tomatoes and are leaving the ripe crop on the plants. As a result, large quantities of tomatoes are being left to rot in the fields.
The price crash has once again highlighted the vulnerability of farmers dependent on perishable crops. Unlike crops that can be stored for extended periods, vegetables such as coriander and tomatoes have to be harvested and marketed quickly. When prices collapse, farmers have little option but to bear the losses.
Farmers have urged the government to intervene immediately by facilitating procurement, ensuring remunerative prices and creating better market mechanisms for perishable agricultural produce.
They have also sought measures to prevent extreme price fluctuations and provide support when market prices fall below the cost of production.
The situation in Belagavi and Davanagere has triggered anger and disappointment among farmers, who say they are being forced to bear the entire burden of market volatility despite rising cultivation costs.
The latest crisis has renewed calls for a mechanism that protects farmers from distress sales and ensures that agricultural produce fetches prices that at least cover production and harvesting expenses.
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