ORMAS provides market linkage to distressed tomato farmers

Berhampur: Tomato growers in Ganjam district, who suffered heavy losses as the market price crashed following the surge in production, heaved a sigh of relief after Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) facilitated the market linkage of their crop to avoid distress sale.

Due to bumper harvest and absence of proper market linkage, tomato prices fell as low as Rs 2 to Rs 3 per kg at the field while the price was Rs 8 to Rs 10 per kg in the vegetable market depending on the quality. In several areas, growers have stopped harvesting as they are not able to get the harvest cost.

“We have asked ORMAS to facilitate a market linkage of the tomato to avoid the distress sale,” said collector (Ganjam) V.Keerthi Vasan. ORMAS has tied up with a Cuttack-based company to procure the tomato directly from farmers.

Following the intervention, the company has procured around 150 quintals in the last two days from the farmers in Ganjam district through the Farmer Producer Organization (FPO), promoted by the ORMAS, said Raj Gopal Dash, deputy chief executive officer, ORMAS. He said the company was procured at a rate of Rs 9 per kg, while the farmers get Rs 6 per kg. Other amounts will be spent on the transportation, loading and unloading and other expenditures, he said.

He said they have planned to procure around 100 metric tonnes of the tomato from farmers across the district. “The initiative has not only ensured better income for farmers but also helped in minimising wastage of products,” said Dash.

Farmers in the district grew tomatoes with the hope of getting profit, when its price was at Rs 50 to Rs 60 in Sept-Oct. The price of tomato crashed following the bumper harvest in March, said Bhairab Nayak, a former agriculture officer.

Several farmers in the district said they were forced to sell the tomato at distress rate due to the lack of cold storage and processing facilities. This happens during Feb and March every year, said Niranjan Mohanty, a farmer in Baiganabadi.