Karnataka   

Food processing unit to buy 10,000 kg tomato a day

Chitradurga: The Akshay Food Park in Hiriyur taluk, the only food processing unit in the district, has come forward to procure about 10,000 kg tomato a day at Rs. 2.5 each to provide some relief to the growers, who have been hit hard by a sharp decline in tomato prices. The company will start procuring the produce from April 6, said a press release by M. Narayanaswamy, president of the unit, here.

Earlier, hundreds of tomato growers in Hiriyur taluk had dumped a large quantity of tomato on the road in protest against the sharp decline in its market price.

They had alleged that the middlemen were purchasing the tomato at Re. 1 a kg, which was not adequate to even meet their transport costs. They had claimed that they had to spend at least Rs. 30 on bringing about 10 kg tomato to the market and selling it there. This included municipal tax and commission to middlemen.

With the food processing unit willing to buy tomato, the farmers would be getting a higher price for it. In addition, they would not have to pay the municipal tax or the commission to the middlemen. The farmers believe that the company's move would at least allow them to recover the cost of cultivation, if not earn profit. Mr. Narayanaswamy said that the company had formed a team of experts, including officials of the Horticulture Department, to identity the growers, check the quality and help them sell the produce directly to the company. Call 9448497408 for further details, the release said.

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