Tainan, Taiwan
February 13, 2009
Source:
AVRDC - The World Vegetable
Center Newsletter
 The
poorest populations of the poorest countries face the
concentrated challenge of tackling the worst impacts of climate
change with the least capacity. The rise in global temperatures
now has started to take a toll on tomato
farmers and wholesale dealers in the Indian states of
Ishwariganj and Pratapur. More than 25,000 tomato farmers have
incurred severe losses due to the premature ripening of the
fruit, as the early massive output peak affects markets. The
sudden overabundance of ripe tomatoes lowers the revenues of
farmers and
retailers alike. Tomato brought in more than Rs 1,200 (ca. 24.50
US $) per quintal (100 kg) last year; it is now
sold for less than Rs 50/quintal. Under normal conditions, a
mere 30-40 percent of the total crop is ready to enter the
market at the same time of the year. This year, around 80
percent of the produce already has been sold to avoid rotting.
Early ripening was caused by the unusual weather conditions
during the last several months, with extreme heat during the day
and cold temperatures at night. If the weather persists, the
entire local harvest may be exhausted in 15 days, leading to
shortages thereafter.
The early ripening has another side effect: Shorter shelf life.
In previous years a significant portion of the
tomato harvest was sold to neighboring states. Now, the majority
is consumed locally. “In our view, there is a need to adjust the
package of practices to cope with global warming, the impact of
which we are already witnessing,” says Dr. Madan Chadha,
director of the Regional Center for South Asia (AVRDC-RCSA) in
Hyderabad.
“There is a challenge to develop varieties suited to such
conditions, including strengthening the market chain, and
introducing postharvest handling and processing technologies.”
Smallholder farmers have been severely hit by the lowest prices
in the last five years, and are unable to
recover even 25 percent of their investments. Farmers are
calling for government initiatives, and have announced that they
will shift to other crops such as wheat as an alternative. While
producers face a severe threat to their livelihoods, the
middlemen seem to be riding out the rough weather quite well:
Market prices are hovering around Rs 6-8/kg for tomato, but
middlemen are fetching prices unchanged, at Rs 12/kg.
Further reading:
“Early ripening leaves tomato farmer redfaced”,
Business Standard, 29 Jan 2009
http://www.business-standard.com |
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