Traders say tomatoes are in short supply, with erratic rainfall having destroyed the crop in southern India.
Tomato prices, rising sharply in the last few days, have disrupted middle class household budgets across the country. Prices have gone up from Rs 30 to Rs 60 in most cities, in a span of two weeks.
Mohan, 45, runs a food stall just outside Jaipur's wholesale vegetable market in Lal Kothi. He sells
aloo parathas at Rs 10 apiece, curried vegetables and rice for Rs 10 a plate. Workers at the vegetable market come here for a cheap meal. But, with tomato prices at Rs 60 a kilo, even a simple meal may soon be out of their reach.
"People ask for dal but that is expensive, so I make potato curry. Potatoes are getting costlier, onions and tomatoes are already out of reach... I have to run my food stall but it's becoming increasingly unprofitable," says Mohan.
In Kolkata, Chandigarh and Bengaluru too tomatoes were selling at Rs 60 for a kilo today, up from between Rs 40 and Rs 50 last week. In Mumbai, the prices went up from Rs 40 last week to Rs 50 today.
Traders say tomatoes are in short supply, with erratic rainfall having destroyed the crop in southern India. That tomatoes are highly perishable is also driving the shortfall.
With dal prices still hovering above Rs 200 a kilo for a few commonly consumed varieties and onions still selling at a high of Rs 35 to Rs 40 for a kilo, there is no respite for the consumer in sight. "With the wedding season coming up in the next few days the demand will go up further for tomatoes which may lead to another hike in prices," says Abdul Hamid, a wholesale tomato trader at Jaipur Lal Kothi wholesale market.