Pune: Farmer earns Rs 3 crore in month by selling tomatoes

A farmer from Pune in Maharashtra has become a billionaire despite the fact that the cost of tomatoes is skyrocketing, selling his abundant crop for Rs 3 crore in little more than a month while facing numerous obstacles.

Farmer Ishwar Gaykar (36) from Pachghar village in Junnar tehsil of Pune district had faced a difficult decision of dumping a large quantity of harvested tomatoes in May this year due to low prices. Undeterred by the setback, he continued to exhibit unwavering determination and work tirelessly on his 12-acre farm to cultivate tomatoes.

Now, amid the skyrocketing prices of tomatoes, Gaykar's hard work has paid off handsomely, transforming him into a millionaire as he claimed to have earned Rs 3 crore through the sale of his crop yield between June 11 and July 18.

Gaykar said during the period, he sold 18,000 crates of tomatoes (each crate comprising 20 kg of tomatoes) at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) at Narayangaon in Junnar tehsil for Rs 3 crore. He aims to earn another Rs 50 lakh by selling the remainder of the produce, which is roughly 4,000 crates. The total input cost of cultivation, including transportation, was Rs 40 lakh, he said.

I have an 18-acre farm where I cultivate tomatoes on 12 acres. I have sold 18,000 crates since June 11 and have so far earned Rs 3 crore, said Gaykar. On June 11, he fetched a price of Rs 770 per crate (Rs 37 to Rs 38 per kg), and on July 18, he sold tomatoes at Rs 2,200 per crate (Rs 110 per kg).

This is the best of times for the tomato growers, but we have witnessed worst times also. In the month of May, I grew tomatoes on one-acre land, but had to throw away large quantities of the produce as the prices were very low. I had thrown the produce away as the per crate rate was just Rs 50, which means Rs 2.50 per kg, he said.