Earlier this month, prices of tomato were anywhere in the range of Rs 20-40 per kg, as per data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry. (File photo)
Highlights
- Market witnesses sluggish supply due to damaged crops in Haryana, Punjab
- Unlike potato and onion, there is short shelf life of tomato.
- Absence of adequate cold storage facilities has aggravated the problem.
The humble tomato, a key ingredient in many dishes made across the country, usually retails anywhere between Rs 20 and 40 per kg. But in the last 15 days, tomato prices have gone by from 20 per cent to a whopping 100 per cent.
In Hyderabad, the tomato is selling at Rs 100 per kg in retail markets - the highest anywhere in the country.
According to online grocery store BigBasket, in Hyderabad, the local variety is priced at Rs 110 per kg while the hybrid is selling at Rs 90 per kg. Contrast that with the rates in Delhi where the hybrid variety is selling at Rs 55 per kg.
"It is almost double the price. So I am buying about 2 kg instead of my usual 5 kg," Avinash told NDTV at Secunderabad's Monda Market. "After all it is an everyday item in the kitchen," he said.
Shopkeeper Krishna in Begumpet says unless he sells for Rs 100 per kg, he can't make a profit. "There is transport cost, wastage and other expenses," said Krishna.
In Chennai, tomatoes are being sold for Rs 80 per kg. The prices in the Tamil Nadu capital has doubled up in last fortnight. The prices in Kolkata have also seen a steep hike at Rs 60 per kg today as against Rs. 30 per kg earlier this month.
In Mumbai, rates have risen to Rs 58 per kg from Rs 38 per kg.
Due to rains, the crop in South India has gotten affected because of which prices have risen there. In North India, the heat stress has damaged crops in some parts.
Unlike potato and onion, there is short shelf life of tomato. The absence of adequate cold storage facilities in the supply chain has aggravated the problem.
The country's tomato production is estimated at 18.28 million tonnes in the 2015-16 crop year (July-June) as against 16.38 million tonnes in the previous year.
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal and Odisha are the major tomato growing states in the country.