From free to Rs 120/kg: How to prevent tomato crisis from hurting farmers, consumers

The solution lies in building an information system that brings assurance to the entire supply chain

When tomatoes make it to the news, it is mostly for the wrong reasons. The pictures of farmers dumping the produce have now been permanently etched into our memories. Instances of households and restaurants cutting back on tomatoes were rare and brief.  As India reels under a severe tomato crunch, I am one of the very few farmers who are cashing in on this nationwide crisis. For over three weeks now, mandi rates at Mysore for a 25-kg box of tomatoes have never fallen below Rs.1300.

Rollback to April, things were very different. I sold 100 boxes of tomatoes for