After onion, tomato prices shoot through the roof

The retail price has soared to Rs 70 per kg in the National Capital Region (NCR). Traders have predicted further hike in coming days as the tomato supply of has gone down 60 per cent of late. Traders have claimed that this trend will continue for at least six weeks as fresh stock is likely to arrive in markets only by December-end.

The increase in the price can be blamed on unprecedented rain in tomato-producing states. At the end of October, tomatoes were available at Rs 25-Rs 35 per kilogram in the retail market, and at Rs 15-Rs 20 per kilogram in the wholesale market. However, not just local retailers even Safal and Mother Dairy outlets are reportedly selling tomatoes at Rs 50-Rs 70 per kg, which is almost double of what it was a fortnight ago. 

“About two to three weeks back, we were selling tomatoes at cheap rates but owing to acute shortage, it has jumped drastically. Generally 35 to 40 trucks reach the mandi but the number has dwindled to 12 to 16 these days,” said Amit Pandey, a wholesale trader at Azadpur mandi. Trade in nearby mandis like Gazipur, Keshav Puram, and Okhla have also been hit by a supply crunch.

Traders of retail markets informed that a complete stoppage in supply of tomatoes from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and other neighbouring states have triggered the sudden price escalation. 

Other tomato-producing states, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka are also supplying less than half the quantity while the demand is at an all-time high due to the festive season. “Excess rains have hit the crop hard; mandis of tomato-producing states have little quantity left for their local usage. 

This will have an impact in neighbouring states as Delhi’s mandis are key suppliers to these states,” explained Rajendra Sharma, former chairman of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC).