Tiny tomato to the rescue

As indispensable to the Punjabi palate as sarson da saag, the tomato is finally ready for the rescue act. According to a study conducted by ...

As indispensable to the Punjabi palate as sarson da saag, the tomato is finally ready for the rescue act. According to a study conducted by the Agro-Economic Research Centre of the Punjab Agricultural University, the little red fruit could well be key in breaking the wheat-rice stranglehold on the state.

To that end, say experts, it is essential to look into the problems faced by tomato farmers. The high-input crop, already covering 16 per cent of the net cultivated area in Punjab, the potential to replace rice and wheat in the state if agricultural credit cooperative societies, processing units and other funding agencies rise to the occasion.

8216;8216;We conducted this study mainly to determine the extent of post-harvest losses at the farms, during transportation to markets and at traders8217; levels and to identify ways to prevent them,8217;8217; says D K Grover, deputy director and in-charge of the Agro-Economic Centre. 8216;8216;After accounting for the losses, we found around 87 per cent of the crop actually reached the consumer.8217;8217;

The study, carried out in Amritsar 8212; the largest tomato-producer in Punjab 8212; concluded that the highly vulnerable crop could benefit enormously with the establishment of more processing units in the producing areas of the state.

Already, certain pulp-heavy varieties like TH-802 and TH-2312 find extensive use in processing units, while the moderately sized Punjab Tropic, Punjab NR-7 and Punjab Chhuhara are preferred in the kitchen.

8216;8216;Also, as the tomato farmer has to invest about Rs 28,000 per hectare for the crop, we thought short-term loans from credit agencies would go a long way in helping farmers,8217;8217; says Grover, pointing out that the crop had real potential to break the rice-wheat cycle.

8216;8216;Sowing can also be brought under contract farming, and the companies can send in their own trucks to lift the crop from the farmer, thereby cutting down transportation losses. This cost could be written into the farmer8217;s contract,8217;8217; says Grover, who was assisted by Kamal Vatta, Sanjay Kumar, Parminder Singh, Jagdeep Singh and Anil Chopra in the study.

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8216;8216;To sum it up, I could say that companies should be encouraged to invest in infrastructure in the state to reap the benefits.

8220;And the farmers would benefit directly if the government launches the crop insurance scheme, since the tomato crop is delicate by nature and highly susceptible to disease and pest attack,8217;8217; adds Grover.