Tomato prices soar despite Centre’s directive
Despite the Centre’s directive to sell tomatoes at `40 a kg, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt Ltd, which runs Safal outlets is selling the vegetable anything between `60 and `70 per kg in the national capital. Local vendors are selling tomatoes in the price range of `60-80 per kg depending on the quality and localities. Big Basket outlets are also selling tomato at `70 per kg.
Tomato prices in the retail markets of DelhiNCR have shot up to `6080 per kg owing to supply disruptions following rain. The national capital receives a bulk of its tomatoes from hilly states during this period. Tomato prices are likely to remain high as fresh crop is expected to hit markets only by
September.
A visit to Mother Dairy Safal outlet at Madhu Vihar in east Delhi, showed that inferior quality tomato (rotten tomato) was selling at `40 a kg, while good quality tomato was being sold at `70 per kg. When asked, the owner of Mother Dairy outlet said that the price of tomato in the wholesale market is too high, that’s why it is being sold at `70 per kg. A Safal outlet at Panchsheel Park was selling tomato at `65 a kg. Tomatoes were not available at a Mother Dairy shop in north Delhi.
A Safal outlet franchisee said since they were not getting cheaper tomato from suppliers that’s why the rates were high.” If we get supply at cheaper rate, we will definitely sell it at a lower price,” he added.
At Azadpur Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), the wholesale price of tomato is between `6 and ` 38 per kg depending on the quality. A wholesale trader of Azadpur said that tomato supply was less in the mandi due to rains. “The situation will remain so till September first week,” he said.
Mother Dairy has 400 Safal outlets in DelhiNCR. Safal outlets are being operated on the franchise model, where the company provides basic infrastructure. Normally, prices of tomato firm up in the off-season of June-September every year, but the sharp increase in rates this time was mainly due to the damage caused to the rabi crop because of a severe drought in southern states. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha are the major tomato growing states.