By Our Correspondent
Sarlahi, Jan. 4: Farmers in Sarlahi are happy as they are able to get better price for the tomatoes they have grown this year.
Sarlahi produces the highest amount of tomatoes in the country. Farmers here are now selling tomatoes at Rs. 900 to Rs. 1,000 per crate (25 kilograms).
Accordingly, the farmers are getting Rs. 35 to Rs. 50 for a kilogram of tomatoes from the wholesalers.
Farmer Giriraj Kharel of Hariwan Municipality-2 said that the farmers would make good money by selling tomatoes at the current price.
"The cost of production, including labour, fertiliser and transportation is Rs. 300 per crate of tomatoes and the farmers are getting up to Rs. 900 per crate," said Kharel.
Kharel, who has been cultivating tomatoes by leasing seven bighas of land, has already sold tomatoes worth Rs. 300,000.
Tomatoes are produced commercially at Atrauli, Sasapur, Nawalpur, Pattharkot, Hirapur, Lalbandi, Raniganj in the northern part of Sarlahi and other areas.
Traders from Lalbandi, the main business centre of the district, have been visiting the villages to purchase tomatoes grown by the farmers, he added.
Kisun Mahato, a farmer of Hirapur in Lalbandi Municipality-11, said that he was getting good price of tomatoes till now as there was not much production.
Tomatoes produced in Sarlahi are supplied to major cities of the country, including Butwal, Pokhara and Kathmandu.
Mohammad Usman, a wholesaler of Lalbandi Bazaar, informed that 40 to 50 crates of tomatoes have been supplied to Kathmandu on a daily basis for 10-12 days.
According to him, the tomatoes are supplied to the Balkhu and Kalimati vegetable markets of Kathmandu in large quantities.
According to the statistics of the Agricultural Market Management Committee, Lalbandi, 175 quintals of tomatoes reach Kathmandu, 130 quintals Pokhara and 48 quintals Butwal from Lalbandi Bazaar every day.