Bureaucrat comes up with idea to convert it into fodder.
A meaningful and constructive solution for managing tomato waste has been found.
Deputy Commissioner K.V. Trilokchandra has conceived an idea of converting tomato into animal fodder. He has submitted a plan to the State government, which has given the green signal for setting up a plant at the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard in Kolar.
Mr. Trilokchandra got the idea after seeing a huge quantity of the vegetable being abandoned at the yard, one of the largest tomato marketing yards in Asia. On an average, transactions involving 150-200 tonnes take place every day during lean season. About 15 tonnes are wasted during loading and unloading.
At the same time, farmers dump huge quantities of tomatoes on the roadside when there is a glut. Now, this will be fed into the plant that will turn it into a lycopene-rich meal for poultry, cattle, pig, and fish.