In the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi repealing the three farm laws on 19 November, a video of farmers dumping tomatoes because of fall in prices is being shared on social media with the claim that it is a recent incident from south India.
We, however, found that the Asianet News bulletin which is being circulated is actually from May, and is being falsely linked to the three farm laws being repealed.
CLAIM
The claim along with the video reads: "दक्षिण भारत में टमाटर का सही मूल्य दलाल लोग किसानों को नही दे रहे हैं,, 75 पैसे प्रति किलो दे रहे हैं। इसलिए किसान लोग टमाटर सड़कों के किनारे फेक रहे है, उत्तर भारत मे किल्लत मची है दलालों के कारण, मोदी जी का किसान कानून का महत्व अब सबको समझ आएगा। (sic)"
You can view the archived version here.
(Source: Twitter/ Screenshot)
(Translated: In South India, the brokers are not giving the right price of tomato to the farmers, they are giving 75 paise per kg. That's why farmers are throwing tomatoes on the roadside, there is a shortage in north India due to brokers. Now, everyone will understand the importance of Modi ji's farm laws.)
Several social media users shared the video on Facebook and Twitter with the same claim and the archived version of the posts can be viewed here, here, and here.
WHAT WE FOUND
Since the viral video carried the logo of Asianet News, we searched on the organisation's YouTube handle with keywords 'tomato farmers' and came across a bulletin uploaded on 15 May 2021.
The bulletin carried the viral visuals, and the description along with the video read: 'Tomato farmers in Karnataka in crisis.'
Asianet News uploaded the bulletin on 15 May.
(Photo: YouTube/ Altered by The Quint)
The bulletin talks about how tomato prices in Bengaluru markets had then fallen to 75 paise due to the COVID lockdown, which led to farmers from Kolar and other areas throwing away the tomatoes.
Journalist Imran Khan had also tweeted the viral video in May mentioning that the video is from Kolar, Karnataka.
Further, an Indian Express report published in May mentioned how farmers in Kolar had dumped tomatoes as they didn't get sold in the district's APMC market.
Kolar Deputy Commissioner Dr R Selvamani had reportedly then said that the tomatoes went unsold on "account of quality".
Meanwhile, farmers were expecting that their produce would be sold at a good price.
"However, the uncertainties caused by different states imposing a lockdown as well as retail outlets being shut had resulted in a glut of produce, said traders at the APMC," The Express report added.
Similar details of tomato farmers throwing their produce in Kolar were also reported by The Hindu in May.
Evidently, a video of tomato growers dumping their produce in Karnataka dating back to May is being falsely linked to farm laws being repealed.
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