Tomato growers suffering losses from drastic drop in prices

Tomato growers from NyaungU Township, Mandalay Region are battered by the lowest price this year, said U Aye Ko, a grower from Thithtaukkyun village.
The tomatoes are flooding the market, bringing down the prices, said a trader.
The growers in NyaungU Township uses underground water. The villages in the township supply tomatoes to markets of NyaungU and Pakokku. During the abundant harvest time, the tomato is priced at only K100 per viss (a viss equals 1.6 kilogrammes). Therefore, the growers cannot even cover the cost of agricultural input cost, U Aye Ko elaborated.
There is a large price gap between the wholesale and retail prices, when the transport charge is added amid the hike price of fuel oil, said a market observer. A big slump in wholesale prices causes a huge loss to the growers in early 2022. — KPD, KK/GNLM