Shimla, August 4: Tomato growers in Himachal Pradesh’s Junga region are enjoying a welcome boost in earnings as prices have surged sharply in recent days. Spread across nine panchayats, farmers in this belt are seeing strong returns for their produce, bringing smiles back to their faces as the tomato season approaches its final phase.
Currently, farmers from Junga are dispatching their tomato harvest to major vegetable markets — including Solan, the state’s largest, as well as Panipat in Haryana, and Chandigarh and Delhi. Despite being late in the season, the consistent price hike has come as a relief.
On Sunday, the premium Himsona variety fetched up to ₹1,200 per crate (approx. 25 kg) at Solan market, while hybrid tomatoes sold for ₹800–₹1,000 per crate. This marks a notable increase from last week’s peak of ₹1,000 — a rise of ₹200 within a week.
Progressive farmer Pritam Thakur remarked, “If prices remain steady at this level, it will be a bumper season for us.” He acknowledged that while the season began on a discouraging note for many, lower supply combined with strong demand has now reversed the trend in farmers’ favour.
Commission agent Vinod Sharma and transporter Pradeep Bragta added that crate prices at the start of the season were around ₹300, but have now quadrupled — significantly boosting farmers’ profits.
Aside from tomatoes, the Junga region’s nine panchayats are also known for large-scale cultivation of capsicum, peas, cauliflower, and French beans — forming the backbone of the local farming economy.
