Tomato price shoots up to ₹80 per kg after pre-monsoon rain
The price of tomatoes, which remains a staple in almost every Indian kitchen, is likely to get dearer in the coming days. The current prices of tomatoes have already soared to ₹70-80 per kg in retail markets. It would remain so for next two months.
According to wholesalers, the prices were hiked due to a heavy reduction in supply of tomatoes from neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana after the rain.
“Tomato prices shooting up is a normal occurrence during the monsoon months, from June to September. This is because the stock spoils easily during the rain. We are getting our supply only from Himachal Pradesh now,” said Rajendra Sharma, president of Azadpur Mandi.
“The shelf life of tomatoes is not more than four days. Not all retailers have an access to cold storage. So, they tend to recover the losses by selling at a higher price,” Sharma said.
to wholesalers, the situation will remain the same until fresh stocks arrive in the markets by August-end.
On Thursday, the wholesale prices of tomatoes at the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee market at Gazipur were between ₹30 and ₹40.
The soaring prices of vegetables have affected the sales of vendors in local markets. “Till MayJune, the retail price of tomatoes was ₹40 per kg. Soon after the premonsoon showers, the price climbed to ₹60 per kg and finally touched ₹80 per kg by the end of the month. Due to a spike in prices, people do not buy more than half a kilogram of tomato at a time,” said Abdullah, a vendor from Malviya Nagar.
Even coriander leaves and green chilies, which came complimentary with vegetables, are now being sold at a price of over ₹10-₹15 for 100 grams. The increase in the vegetable prices has forced many to exclude these from their shopping list.