A farmer from Maharashtra’s Pune district claimed an earning of more than ₹2.8 crore by selling tomatoes amid the soaring tomato prices across the country. Ishwar Gayakar, along with his wife, aims to reach an even higher target of ₹3.5 crore with around 4000 crates of tomatoes still available on their farm.
Sharing his journey of hard work and determination, Ishwar Gaikar said, “This is not something I have earned in one day. I have been cultivating tomatoes on my 12-acre farm for the last six-seven years now. I have also incurred losses several times but I have never left my hopes. In 2021, I had made a loss of rupees 18-20 lakhs but I did not stop.”
Gaikar cultivated tomatoes on 12 acres land this year and has already sold approximately 17,000 crates at prices ranging from ₹770 to ₹2311 per crate, resulting in an earning of ₹2.8 crore so far. With a stock of around 3000 to 4000 crates still remaining, his total earnings are expected to reach around ₹3.5 crore, reported ANI.
Also read: Discount on tomatoes: How to get tomatoes at cheaper prices in Delhi, NCR from today
Grateful for his family’s support and blessings, Ishwar credits his wife, who works alongside him on the farm, and the encouragement from his parents and grandparents for his success. He expressed happiness and sais, “Everyone in my family is happy with the price we got for our tomatoes.”
Initially anticipating a price of around 30 rupees per kg for tomatoes, Gaikar’s fortunes turned around significantly this season, resulting in a bumper harvest and better returns.
Ishwar Gayakar, who has been farming since 2005, inherited the profession from his father. He and his wife expanded their cultivation from one acre to 12 acres with the availability of labour since 2017. Apart from tomatoes, they also grow onions and flowers as per the respective seasons.
In a recent relief for consumers, the Centre has reduced the wholesale price of tomatoes from ₹90 to ₹80 per kg in several cities, including Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Patna. The changes took effect from July 16 through the National Agriculture Cooperation Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Consumer Cooperation Federation (NCCF), aiming to alleviate the burden of high tomato prices. The changes in tomato prices will be expanded to more cities depending upon the prevailing market price at the current locations. Previously on July 14, the rates of tomatoes were revised to ₹90 per kg.
(With inputs from ANI)
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Updated: 17 Jul 2023, 06:58 AM IST