Haveri: Tomato prices are on the rise in the country, bringing good returns to the tomato growers. Thus, most of the farmers have come forward to grow tomatoes and there is a huge demand for saplings. Tomato saplings are now difficult to find in nurseries in the Taluk. Most of the farmers have come forward to grow tomatoes.
Demand in nurseries
There are a lot of nurseries in Ranebennur Taluk. The tomato saplings grown in them are being taken away by the farmers and grown in their fields. Earlier, tomato saplings were being sold at 70 paise per sapling when it was at normal rate. However, due to the increase in the prices of tomatoes, there has been a lot of demand and it is common to buy saplings for 80 paise and 90 paise, respectively.
Not even the seedlings are being spared.
Tomato seeds are being distributed to farmers about 25 days after it is sown in the nursery. But due to the increase in prices, the farmers have not even left the 15-day saplings and are taking them away and planting them on their land. About 5,000 saplings are required per acre. It is only true that most of the farmers have come forward to grow tomatoes keeping in mind the price they are getting for the tomato crop.
In the wake of the rise in tomato prices, the area of planting tomatoes has increased. The Taluk already has 100 hectares of tomato land, of which 40 per cent is seeds. The demand for tomato saplings has also increased in nursery.