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Agriculture commissioner orders regional reports on tomato plantation
Agricultural Commissioner Sunil Chavan on Wednesday took an overview of the prevailing tomato shortage in the state
It may still take two more months for tomato prices to return to normal, according to state agriculture department officials.
Agricultural Commissioner Sunil Chavan on Wednesday took an overview of the prevailing tomato shortage in the state and directed all the agriculture superintendents to devise plans to mitigate the shortage crisis and furnish a report on the current crop production metrics before the agriculture commissionerate.
While Chavan said the price issue is linked to the Marketing Department Board, an official from the Board said it should start coming down by August.
“Prices Issue is related to Marketing Department Cooperation,” said Chavan.
The unprecedented surge in tomato prices has led to the convening of the meeting. Tomato prices this week ranged between ₹120 and ₹150 per kg in the retail market sparking concern both in the government and the general populace.
According to the agriculture commissionerate, between 56 to 57 hectares of state land were under tomato cultivation.
“There was an average 46 per cent rainfall deficit this year, which resulted in a delayed plantation,” Chavan explained.
The district-level agricultural department offices have been directed by the chief agriculture officer to implement pest control measures.
“Pune, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Aurangabad, Latur, and Nagpur are primarily tomato-growing regions in Maharashtra, and their agriculture superintendents have been directed to present a report on their respective regions,” he continued.
