For Himachal farmers tomatoes are ‘apple of their eyes’

BY VISHAL GULATI Shimla, Nov 20 : Tomatoes turned the new ‘apple of eyes’ for the Himachal Pradesh farmers this season, literally.
The reason: lack of plantation amidst Covid-19 scare in the kharif cropping season has drastically reduced its overall production in Himachal Pradesh by 35-40 per cent, triggering a massive price hike for the vegetable in north Indian cities.
Currently, the tomatoes are selling between Rs 50 and Rs 65 per kg in Chandigarh and Delhi retail markets, much higher than the price of Rs 20 to Rs 25 they got last year at this point in time, say traders.
In Solan town, the hub of tomato plantation, its price ranging between Rs 40 and Rs 45 per kg in wholesale.
With majority of vegetables gone rotten in the fields, or lying unsold or unharvested due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown from April, the growers in the state were uncertain about the future of kharif crops from August to November, an official with the Agriculture Department familiar with the development told IANS.
He said the farmers opted less plantation of kharif vegetable crops owing to fear and uncertainty.