Tomato farmers in Madhya Pradesh are grappling with severe financial strain as wholesale prices of the kitchen essential have crashed to Rs 2 per kg, driven by a bumper crop flooding markets like Indore’s Devi Ahilyabai Holkar fruit and vegetable market, one of the state’s largest.

The drastic drop has left cultivators unable to recover even basic harvesting costs, prompting urgent calls for government intervention.

Dheeraj Raikwar, a farmer from Khandwa district, 130 km from Indore, voiced his despair to PTI on Monday. “At Rs 2 per kg, we can’t cover harvest expenses,” he said, noting that some farmers are discarding unsold tomatoes in the market.

He attributed the price collapse to a surge in supply after last year’s high rates spurred widespread cultivation. Dinesh Muvel from Dhar district echoed the sentiment, revealing he took a Rs 2 lakh loan to grow tomatoes on two acres, only to face losses as prices tanked.

Farmers’ groups are pressing for action. Ram Swaroop Mantri of the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha in Malwa-Nimar demanded the state purchase tomatoes at a fair rate, criticizing the government’s inaction on a minimum support price for vegetables.

Bharatiya Kisan-Mazdoor Sena president Bablu Jadhav highlighted the absence of cold storage and processing units in remote areas, forcing farmers to offload perishable crops at rock-bottom prices.

The crisis underscores a volatile cycle for Madhya Pradesh’s tomato growers—India’s top producers—where bumper harvests often lead to ruinous gluts. With no immediate relief in sight, cultivators face mounting debts and wasted produce, intensifying their plea for structural support to stabilize the market.