Telangana: Crorepati tomato farmer reveals his recipe for success
Banswada Mahipal Reddy shot to fame after earning a few crores by selling tomatoes last year.
Medak: Banswada Mahipal Reddy, who shot to fame after earning a few crores by selling tomatoes last year, says he has mastered the art of growing the tomato crop in such a way that he gets the harvest when there is a shortage in the market.
Reddy grows his crop during April and May, which helps him get the harvest during June, July, and August, which is there usually is a short supply of vegetables into the market.
After reaping rich benefits in tomato farming in 2023, when the vegetable was sold at a record Rs 200 per kg, Reddy increased the area under tomato cultivation to 30 acres this year from last year’s 8 acres.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Reddy said that the farmers need to take utmost care for growing tomato crops during the summer because survival is difficult during April and May. Apart from growing the crop under a shade net, Reddy said that the farmers need to go for staking besides giving additional water, and fertilisers following the advice of horticulture officials.
He said that the farmers would need to invest nearly Rs 3 lakh on each acre of the crop from buying seeds to labour, tilling, fertilisers, pesticides, and others. Usually, the farmers would invest less than Rs 2 lakh on an acre of tomato crop during the rainy season and winter. He said they will usually get 35 tonnes of yield per acre during the rainy season and winter, but the yield goes down as low as 17 tonnes this period.
After the hot summer, the horticulture farmer said the crop needs to withstand the heavy rains during the monsoon. The flower of the crop would drop unless there was a shade net to protect the crop from the sweltering heat. Unlike the majority of vegetable crops, which would give harvest from 30 to 45 days, tomatoes will start giving yield after 70 days, and peak after 90 days.
Another horticulture farmer MD Haneef, who has been cultivating vegetable crops for the last two decades, said he decided not to take up tomato cultivation because it involves a lot of risk. However, he appreciated Mahipal Reddy for taking all the risks and overcoming the challenges to get the best yield during the season when most farmers would fear cultivating tomato crops.
Haneef urged the government to provide a subsidy to farmers on seeds, mulching, drip, and other agricultural implements so that the farmers will dare to grow tomato crops during this season. He said that the tomato will also be available for consumers at moderate prices.
Meanwhile, Mahipal Reddy successfully grew the tomato crop in 30 acres this year. He started getting the yield at a time when the prices were going through the roof in the retail market. He used to get just Rs 18 per kg a fortnight ago in the wholesale market now it has crossed Rs 50 per kg. Saying that he had seen many lows and highs, Reddy said that he sold tomatoes at Rs 7 per kg in March this year.
