About 20,000 visses of winter tomato destine for Monywa market daily

About 20,000 visses of winter tomato are destined for Monywa market daily, it is learnt from the local traders on 22 December.
“The Monywa market receives about 20,000 visses of tomato daily. This is the highly harvested season of the tomato. But, the production of the tomato will be decreased later,” said Ko Pyay Lin, tomato grower from Kan Su village, Yinmabin township.
The tomatoes from Bantbwe, Kankone, Kansu, Silaung, Kyaukpyot villages, in Yinmabin Township, on the western bank of the Chindwin River are conveyed to the Monywa market daily by motorbike.
“The tomatoes are fetching good prices this year. This time last year, the tomato price dipped below K1,000 per viss in the market. But this year, the price has increased to over K2,000 per viss, said Ko Pyay Lin.
After growing for three or four months, the tomato plants begin the fruits. Instead of growing other species of tomatoes, the growers from mentioned villages mainly cultivate only Kyar Chayyar tomato species yearly and are selling them at the Monywa market.
The price of tomatoes in the Monywa market fetched K1,800 per viss on 22 December, K2,300 per viss on 21 December and K2,500 per viss in these days.
“For the fresh crops, if the yields become too high, the price is usually going down. Also, transport is one more reason the prices of tomatoes are going down. The Chindwin bridge opens at 6 am and thus people cannot come as early as before. Earlier, the tomatoes were conveyed two times daily, said a tomato grower. — Lu Lay/GNLM