Srilanka Tapu's tomatoes in high demand in east Nepal

By Baburam Karki,Barahakshetra, Dec. 22: Traders have begun visiting the homes of farmers on Srilanka Tapu (island) of Barahakshetra Municipality to purchase tomatoes. 

With the start of production from commercially cultivated tomato farms, traders are now coming directly to farmers’ doorsteps to buy the produce.As tomatoes grown commercially by farmers are of good quality, demand for tomatoes produced on the island is high. 

Compared to tomatoes brought in from other places, those produced on the island are increasingly preferred by consumers, said Laxman Bhattarai, Manager of the Dharan Agricultural Produce Market. 

According to him, island-grown tomatoes look attractive and shiny, which has boosted their demand in the market. He added that tomatoes produced on the island have been receiving a good market for the past two years. 

Last year, they even replaced the daily supply of tomatoes imported from India in eastern Nepal. 

Tomatoes are usually imported daily from India to the Dharan wholesale market by traders, but island-grown tomatoes performed well in eastern Nepal last year as well.

Farmers said that island's tomatoes are also popular among consumers and traders because they are produced using less pesticides. 

Tomatoes imported from India into Nepal’s eastern markets take longer to arrive and are often pesticide-laden. 

As the distance to bring tomatoes produced on Sri Lanka tapu is close, fresh tomatoes reach the kitchens of consumers, said Milan Sah, a trader from Itahari.

Tomatoes and other vegetables collected through the Dharan Agricultural Produce Market and traders in Itahari are supplied to both hill and plain districts of eastern Nepal. 

Traders buy them from the fields according to the daily market price.

Leading farmer Arjun Chandrabanshi said that tomatoes are sold at prices ranging from Rs. 60 to Rs. 70 per kilogram. 

Farmers have been cultivating tomatoes commercially for three years on the riverbanks of the Saptakoshi River.

Due to sandy soil, good production is achieved with proper management of fertiliser and irrigation. 

Farmers who transplanted seedlings at the end of August began selling their produce from the first week of December.

Chandrabanshi, who has planted tomatoes in an area of ​​three and a half bighas of land, said, “If the weather is favourable, we, the farmers, can earn good income from tomatoes. There is no hassle of finding a market because big traders arrive at our home.” 

He said that he earned around Rs. 300,000 by selling tomatoes worth Rs. 600,000 last year.

"If we work hard in tomato cultivation, we can earn more than Rs. 40,000 per kattha," he said.

As tomatoes start bearing fruit within three months of planting, vegetable farming is more profitable than other types of farming, said another farmer from the island, Anil Chandrabanshi.

Anil said tomato cultivation requires a significant initial investment, as additional costs are involved in applying plastic mulching (white on the outside and black on the inside) to the transplanting beds and mixing the necessary nutrients into the soil.

Tomato cultivation is currently being carried out on more than 30 bighas of land on the island.