Patna, April 1 -- Patna a€" Tomato farmers in Bihara€™s Diara region are facing severe financial hardship as market prices have plunged to an alarming Rs. 1.5 to Rs. 2 per kilogram. Despite months of hard work, they are unable to recover even their basic production costs, pushing them deeper into distress.

a€œWe spend a lot on seeds, fertilizers, labor and harvesting itself comes with additional expenses. But at these rock-bottom prices, we are incurring heavy losses,a€ said Ram Naresh Yadav, a local farmer.

Adding to their woes, farmers must pay at least Rs. 50 per quintal just for local transportation, only to reach markets where prices are often even lower. With no proper storage facilities, many a...