Farmers Protest Tomato Price Collapse Amidst Indian Imports

Kathmandu. Farmers in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas have protested due to a sharp decline in the price of locally produced tomatoes in the Nepali market. Farmers have protested, stating that cheap tomatoes being imported in large quantities from neighboring India have left domestic products without a market and have not even covered the cost price.

Farmers have spontaneously taken to the streets to protest after the wholesale price of tomatoes hit a low point in Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market, considered the main market. It is understood that the uncontrolled import of Indian tomatoes into the Nepali market is the main reason why Nepali farmers are suffering. Farmers say that vegetables coming from the Indian market at cheap prices have displaced Nepali products, leading to a dire situation where Nepali tomatoes rot in the fields or have to be thrown on the streets.

Farmers have come to the streets because traders are reluctant to buy Nepali tomatoes, and even when they do, they offer extremely low prices.

The daily price list published by the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Committee on Wednesday also shows that farmers are not getting good prices for tomatoes. According to the committee's official data, the minimum wholesale price of small local tomatoes in the market today has been set at only 8 rupees per kg, while the maximum price is only 12 rupees.

Overall, the average wholesale price of small local tomatoes has been fixed at only 9 rupees 50 paisa per kg. Similarly, the average price of small tomatoes produced using tunnel technology is 14 rupees 60 paisa per kg, and the average price of large Nepali tomatoes is 38 rupees 75 paisa per kg. Looking at this, it appears that although consumers have to pay high prices in the retail market, the farmers who directly produce them are not even getting 10 rupees per kg.

Protest for Survival

Shreeram Ghimire, a leading tomato producer and businessman from Kakani, Nuwakot, said that the condition of the Nepali agricultural sector and farmers is extremely neglected. According to Ghimire, who has previously gone on hunger strike for farmers' rights, affected farmers have taken to the streets to protect their existence without the banner of any formal organization or committee.

Affected tomato producers from various districts around the Kathmandu Valley, including Kakani, are participating in this protest.

He argues that real farmers are on the verge of migration as government slogans to promote domestic agricultural production and make the country self-reliant in agriculture remain mere slogans.