Marayur: Farmers in Udumalaipettai and nearby areas of Tamil Nadu close to the Kerala border are abandoning large quantities of tomatoes by roadsides and in fields. Currently, farmers receive barely ₹5–₹10 per kg of tomatoes.

According to the farmers, they prefer to abandon the tomato, considering the huge loss they would face in terms of the expenses for harvesting and transporting the yield to the market.

Farmers say they are discarding the produce due to the losses they would incur from harvesting and transport costs. Tomatoes are grown over around 30,000 acres in Udumalaipettai, Madathukulam, Palani, Kumaralingam, Kolumam and Pethappampatti. Tomato saplings in nurseries for the next harvest are reportedly rotting due to a lack of demand. Growers, who spent ₹40,000–₹60,000 to raise the crop, said prices fell steeply after produce from other states flooded the market.

A 14-kg box of tomatoes sells for ₹100–₹140 at the Udumalaipettai market. The price increases fivefold when the produce is taken across the state border to Kerala. On Wednesday, tomatoes were sold at ₹40 per kg in shops in Marayur and at ₹25–₹35 from vehicles parked by the roadside.