In the past couple of weeks, tomato prices fell sharply across the state including Belagavi. Belagavi is the second-largest tomato producer in the state, next to Kolar, and the fall in tomato prices has worried the farmers.
According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, in Karnataka state, Belagavi district has about 6,200 hectares of land under tomato cultivation. Vegetables are grown in large quantities in Belagavi, Khanapur, Gokak, and Mudalagi taluks.
Appasaheb Desai, a leader of the Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha and Hasiru Sene, said that while political parties are protesting against price hikes, poor farmers of this land are protesting against the decline in vegetable crops.
"This time, vegetables were grown in an area of approximately 5,000 hectares in Belagavi taluk. The crop was bountiful due to excellent rains last time. The widening gap between demand and supply is the reason for the price drop. This time, tomato is being sold at Rs 800 to Rs 1,400 per quintal, while other vegetables, including cabbage and cauliflower, are being sold at Rs 50 to Rs 100 per quintal. This is the lowest price in the market," he said.
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