Tomatoes deliver juicy returns for Himachal’s Balh Valley growers

Himachal’s Balh valley fetches higher prices at this time since the tomato season in Punjab nears its end in June

{Mini Punjab}

Tomato is cultivated in about 1,200 hectares of land in Balh valley between Sundernagar and Mandi, Himachal. (Birbal Sharma/HT)

The demand for tomatoes grown in Mandi district’s Balh valley, also known as “mini Punjab”, has surged manifold of late. The crop, which has increased interest from famerms in recent times due to its high-quality produce, has begun to draw buyers from all over the country.

Wholesale buyers this year are purchasing tomatoes from the fields itself. The tomato at Balh Valley is being sold between ₹600-800 for a 20 kg crate. The farmers expect the rates to increase further in the coming days amid limited produce.

Tomato is cultivated in about 1,200 hectares of land in Balh valley between Sundernagar and Mandi, with 3 to 4 lakh crates being produced annually..

“The tomatoes produced in the region are in high demand across the country. In the last five years, an increasing number of farmers in the region have now adopted tomato farming. A farmer produces 200 crates of tomatoes per one bigha of land,” Balh agriculture officer Pawan Saini said, adding that demand is more for the red gold tomato variety grown in the valley.

The tomato season in Balh lasts till mid-July before the focus shifts to Kullu and Solan.

Farming finds traction with youth

Amid limited employment opportunities, the youth of Balh are turning to tomato farming in a bid to sustain livelihood. The increased interest in turn has given a fillip to the region’s economy.

Balh valley fetches higher prices at this time since the tomato season in Punjab nears its end in June. Wholesale buyers from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi are reaching the Balh valley to buy tomatoes.

“In a positive shift, this time, wholesalers are directly contacting the farmers. Instead of the middlemen and commission agents, they are visiting the fields to check the quality themselves,” Ramesh Thakur, a farmer from Dhangu village, said.

“The government should set up food processing plants in the region, given the popularity of the produce. At one time, tomatoes from the Balh Valley were even supplied to Pakistan. Now, tomatoes are being provided to Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir and Uttarakhand, but tomatoes are not available anywhere except Balh at this time of the year, so traders from these outside states gather in Balh,” he added,

Arjun Singh, who earlier worked with a private company in Delhi, also dubbed tomato farming a profitable proposition. He and his friend carry out the farming on 50 to 100 bigha land taken on lease, employing local youths in their fields.