Unfair bargain: Tomato growers unable to earn stable return as govt yet to provide storage

As the produce rots quickly, it must be sold straight away and often at a cheap rate.

SUKKUR:

Tomato crops are flourishing but the growers are still not getting a stable return on the yield, with prices fluctuating dramatically as no proper storage facilities are available.

A few months ago, the price of tomatoes soared as high as Rs200 per kilogramme but has now fallen to as low as Rs5 per kilogramme, tomato grower Hajan told The Express Tribune. “If we have a storage facility, then not only will we get a good and stable return for our crop but the consumers will also be able to buy it at a reasonable price all the year round,” claimed Hajan.

Like hundreds of other growers, Hajan grows tomatoes and vegetables in the katcha area to earn a livelihood for his family. His wife and children lend him a helping hand but even with all of them chipping in, it is sometimes not enough. Men, women and children work together in the fields to try and increase yield and hence earn more, he says. “But very little is given to us for our hard work. We cannot store the vegetables at home and wait for the prices to rise because it will rot and go to waste. Therefore, we are compelled to sell it at whatever rate we are offered.”

Hajan is not the only grower that feels that more can be done to help their plight. Another grower, Wazir Mirani, complains of the government’s indifference. “The government spends money on importing tomatoes and vegetables from India but it doesn’t provide us with a storage facility,” he claimed. “It is unfair that a crate of tomato weighing 15 kilogrammes is being sold for as low as Rs75, while its actual price should be between Rs250 to Rs300.”

When the river recedes in the winter, the growers start sowing different vegetables in the katcha area, ensuring that they are ready to be plucked ahead of the rainy season. The growers then turn to the wholesale market, whether they get a proper price for it or not. If the produce is not sold quickly, then it will rot soon. Vegetable growers are often forced to also sow wheat in order to feed themselves and make ends meet. Some of the residents of the katcha area bring bags filled with spinach and sell it for Rs10 per kilogramme, which is available in the market for Rs20 to Rs25 per kilogramme.

Allah Dino is aware of the difference in prices and prefers to sell his produce directly to the consumer. “I sit by the roadside and sell my vegetables myself since that is the only way I can get a fair price for my hard work,” he said. “The traders buy it at throwaway prices and then sell them at a much higher rate.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2014.