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As tomato prices soar, security tightened in Karnataka’s Kolar market
Kolar Agriculture Produce Market Committee is the second largest tomato market in Asia, and thousands of buyers and sellers come to market.
The district police have increased security at the Kolar APMC market since Wednesday after an increase in theft of tomatoes due to skyrocketing prices, officials familiar with the developments said.
Kolar Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) is the second largest tomato market in Asia, and thousands of buyers and sellers come to market.
However, since a month, amid the threat of tomato thefts, tens of farmers stayed in market yards with their agriculture produces, and police stepped up vigil to prevent undue incidents.
“As price went up the trading activity also increased in APMC market. We have deputed 6 policemen to market itself on shift basis,” Kolar superintendent of police (SP) Narayan told HT. He said even we have increased night beat in rural areas also.
According to the officials, as Kolar is the major contributor of vegetables for Bengaluru and other parts, the majority of farmers are involved in growing vegetables. After the price of tomatoes crossed ₹150 per kilogram, farmers started guarding their agricultural fields by erecting tents.
‘’I have been cultivating land for the last three decades but never guarded my farm. This year, I am sleeping in a tent on my farm for two weeks to prevent possible theft,’’ said Boralingaiah, a farmer in Srinivasapura.
He said many farmers in his village are also guarding their tomato crops from thieves.
‘’As Kolar is the second largest market, we have installed CCTV cameras in APMC premises since the beginning,’’ Kolar APMC secretary Vijayalakshmi told HT.
She said earlier, the rush was less in the market, but after the demand for tomatoes increased, the number of buyers from Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu also increased.
Though the crop is less this year owing to leafdiseases, the farmers are getting good prices for tomatoes, she added.
On Tuesday, tomato rates reached a record high of ₹2,200 for a 15-kg box at the Kolar APMC yard.
The consignment brought by farmer Ashwanth from Vaijakur village in Chintamani taluk fetched a record rate when it was auctioned at one of the stalls in APMC.
As tomatoes price touched ₹200 in many cities of the country, the demand also increased due to short supply owing to less yield this year, officials said.
“The price would come down only after the second week of August when a new crop arrives on the market,” said a second APMC official.
On July 3, tomatoes worth over ₹2 lakh were stolen from a farm in Hassan district. This was followed by a case on July 8 where miscreants robbed ₹2 lakh worth of tomatoes, which were being transported to the Kolar market. The accused have still not been traced.
