Tomatoes at Rs 100 per kg: What’s behind the price hike?

Tomatoes are used in all kitchens across India. However, an acute shortage of them has made the commodity red hot and very expensive. Markets across the nation saw tomato prices skyrocketing from Rs 10-20 per kg to a price of Rs 80-100 per kg. The prices are at such phenomenal highs that it even sparked a meme fest on Twitter, with netizens posting downright hilarious jokes about the cost of the precious food item.

Ek tamatar ki keemat tum kya jano, Ramesh Babu!!#TomatoPrice pic.twitter.com/ViZMVtaF7W

— Sandhya Bhadauria (@Okk_Sandhya) June 27, 2023

But what exactly is causing the price of tomatoes to skyrocket and will they rise even further in the days to come? How expensive are tomatoes? The price of the staple crop of Indian households, tomatoes, at markets across India. In Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the price of tomatoes has shot up to Rs 100 per kilogramme. In the financial capital, Mumbai, the situation was no better, with tomatoes being sold for Rs 80 a kg. In markets in Uttar Pradesh, the price had risen to Rs 80-kg. This comes as a shock, as prices a week ago were hovering between the Rs 40-50-mark.

Locals complained that the price rise has been very sudden, causing more of a shock. “Last week the price of tomato was between Rs 40-50 per kg. This week the price is Rs 100 per kg. It has suddenly soared up,” said Parul, a resident of Bengaluru. Another resident of Bengaluru, identified as Suraj Gaur, told news agency ANI, “Earlier, the price of tomatoes was Rs 30 per kg. After that I bought it for Rs 50 per kg and now it has become Rs 100. The price is going to go up and we’re helpless, we have to buy.” Delhi locals voiced similar helpless at the skyrocketing price of the vegetable. Mohammad Raju from the Capital told ANI, “Tomato is being sold at a price of Rs 80 kg. The rate has suddenly shot up in the past two-three days. This sudden increase in price is due to heavy rainfall. Rain has destroyed tomatoes.” Others said that they will stop eating tomatoes owing to the uptick in prices. “People from households like mine are worried about the price rise. How can we buy vegetables if prices increase like this?” asked Gopal, a resident of Kanpur. [caption id=“attachment_12795762” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption] What’s driving the price rise? There are multiple reasons behind the soaring prices of tomatoes. The major reasons behind the prices hitting the century mark are delayed monsoons, high temperatures and low production. An expert was quoted as telling NDTV, “The supply has been affected because of floods and heavy rains in the key growing states. Southern states like Karnataka and Telangana as well as some hilly states have witnessed rains in the last few days, which has led to damage of the crop, creating a supply disruption.” Vegatable vendors in Kanpur stated that the heavy rain in Karnataka, a major tomato supplier, had destroyed the crop. “The price rise is because of the rain. Every year, during this month tomato prices usually increase,” said Lakshmi Devi, a vegetable seller at a Kanpur market. Ashok Ganor, a tomato trader from Delhi’s Azadpur wholesale market, explained further that the tomato plants that were on the ground had been damaged during the recent rainfall. Only the plants that grow vertically with the support of wires were saved and hence, the soaring prices. [caption id=“attachment_12795902” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A farmer carries a basket of tomatoes to load them in Ahmedabad. The production of tomatoes has been low this year, fuelling the price hike. File image/Reuters[/caption] And it’s not just the rainfall. The production of tomatoes was already low this year, said experts, owing to the heat in the tomato-producing regions. Lack of rain caused the crops to dry out and wilt. Moreover, sowing of the tomato plant was much lesser this year, with commodity expert Ajay Kedia telling news agency ANI that many farmers dumped tomatoes for beans. This view was also echoed by Anji Reddy, a tomato farmer from Kolar. Speaking to CNBCTV18, he said, “Many farmers in Kolar shifted to beans this year, as the price of beans skyrocketed last year… The tomato crop in the district may be only 30 per cent of the usual.” Another reason for less production can be attributed to the fact that many farmers did not spray pesticides or use fertilisers on the crop. This led to increased incidence of pest and disease and fall in production, as per a report in The Economic Times. Will the prices increase further? According to vegetable vendors, the prices won’t remain as high as they are now in the weeks to come. That’s because the harvest from different pockets will begin soon. However, if it rains heavily in Himachal Pradesh and other growing areas, the crop will be damaged, causing the prices to soar. Furthermore, the deficiency is expected to accelerate prices on the food menu of eateries and restaurants giving a hard time to the consumers. What about other vegetables? Other vegetables have also witnessed a surge in their prices. The price of bitter gourd is now Rs 60-70 per kilogram. Even other vegetables like zucchini and okra have experienced significant price increases. In some places, the price of beans is between Rs 120 and Rs 140, the price of capsicum has crossed Rs 80 per kg and the rate of ginger has almost touched Rs 200 per kg. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.