George Henry, Gleaner Writer
MALVERN, St. Elizabeth:
THE PRICE of local tomatoes has seen a drastic reduction in sections of the island.
Checks by Farmers Weekly on markets earlier this week found tomato selling for between $10 and $30 per pound down from a high of between $70 and $80 per pound.
LOW PRICES
At the Christiana market in Manchester, vendors were seen selling tomatoes for between $10 and $20 per pound last Saturday, while at the Spaldings market in Clarendon, it was being sold for between $25 and $30.
Over in the Black River and Santa Cruz markets in St. Elizabeth, the produce was being sold for between $20 and $30 per pound.
One vendor at the Christiana market, Jem Stephenson, told Farmers Weekly that she was selling tomatoes for $10 per pound because she produces her own crop. She stated that the price has fallen from a high of $50 per pound since January to $10 because tomatoes are plentiful and it is not selling very fast.
"Plenty of it (tomatoes) is in the market now. Almost every vendor inside here is selling tomatoes and that has resulted in the low price," said Mrs. Stephenson. This was echoed by several other vendors.
Kingsley Palmer, a large-scale tomato farmer in St. Elizabeth said tomatoes were enjoying a good season and the farm gate price is now between $5 and $10 per pound for small tomatoes and between $15 and $20 per pound for the large or table tomatoes. Mr. Palmer, however, said there was not a glut at this time.
Another tomato farmer, Claude Taylor from Flagaman in the parish, told Farmers Weekly that it is usual for the price of tomato to be low at this time of the year as the weather experienced between October and November makes it favourable to plant for reaping at this time.
COOLER MONTHS
He noted that tomatoes do better during the cooler months, resulting in increased yields, but said as soon as the time starts to get dry and hot, yields will fall.
The tomato farmer noted that between the end of April and the end of May consumers will start to see an increase in the price, and by the time the hot months of June, July and August come about the price could skyrocket to even $100 per pound in some markets.
