Farmers dump tomatoes in frustration

FRUIT AND veg farmers from the Famagusta District were left fuming yesterday as the demand for tomatoes remained low despite the equally low prices. Farmers blamed the high retail price for the huge surplus left behind.

According to Larnaca Press Agency, farmers the last two days have been selling tomatoes at 20 cents a kilo, while the price in the market for the consumer is as high as 70 cents a kilo.

In total, 39 tonnes of top quality tomatoes were disposed of yesterday. Farmers vented their frustration in a symbolic tomato dumping exercise on the road network, closing main thoroughfare Protaras Avenue in Paralimni for around half an hour.

Farmers called on the state to provide measures to protect the farmer against these difficult conditions. They argued the protracted summer, “unacceptable” behaviour of retailers, uncontrolled growth in imports and state indifference were the reasons that the farmers were in this situation today.

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