INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
HYDERABAD: School was hard and he failed in Class 10
After dropping out of school, he turned to farming
That was even harder, with paddy cultivation not giving the desired returns
But finally, farmer B Mahipal Reddy hit the jackpot with tomato
In just a month from June 15 till now, he has earned Rs 1.8 crore selling his ripe red fruit.Perseverance and knowledge of the market
condition has fetched rich rewards for this 40-year-old farmer from Kowdipally village in Medak.The high price and lack of supply from
Andhra Pradesh were godsend, helping him fill the demand gap for tomatoes in the Hyderabad market
His produce fetched over Rs 100 per kg as the tomato prices hit the stratosphere
Tomato yield to fetch over Rs 2cr: T farmer I grew tomatoes this season on eight acres starting on April 15 and began receiving the yield on
My produce was A grade and yield substantial as I used nets to protect the crop from any weather-related changes
Even though there may be some crop loss due to excessive rain, my total income will easily surpass Rs 2 crore this season
I still have 40% of the crop on my farm."Reddy, who has about 100 acres, began growing vegetables and tomato about four years ago in about
The rest is still used for paddy
"It took me some time before understanding the right methods, profits will not come immediately after the first crop." Explaining the tomato
crop's economics, he said, "I would invest Rs 2 lakh per acre and if the farming techniques are good then farmers can get very good returns
This time I had a very good crop and the high prices ensured fantastic returns."Reddy said he has sold approximately 7,000 boxes of
tomatoes, each over 25 kg
He now intends to use drones for spraying fertiliser on his paddy fields to use new techniques to cut costs and increase yields.
