Tomato prices could reach Rs 300 per KG soon; Mother Diary sells at Rs 259/ KG

Tomato prices continue to skyrocket and now it is expected to reach Rs 300 per KG very soon, said wholesale traders. The prices have been going up for the past one month due to supply disruptions and now people are moving to alternatives like tomato puree and ketchup.

As per Consumer Affairs Ministry's data the price reached Rs 203 per KG on Wednesday. However, Mother Diary has started selling tomatoes at a whopping Rs 259 per KG on Wednesday through its Safal retail stores.

Kaushik, a member of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee has told PTI that that vegetable wholesalers are facing losses as the sale of tomatoes, capsicum, and other seasonal vegetables has fallen drastically. He also mentioned that the tomato prices have gone up to Rs 220 per KG from Rs 160 per KG in the wholesale market.

Also Read: Tomato puree sales zoom amid sky-high tomato prices

Azadpur Mandi Wholesaler Sanjai Bhagat has said that the prices may hit Rs 300 per Kg soon as the transportation of tomatoes is hit by landslides and rainfall. He also mentioned that the quality of tomato that is exported from Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra have come down.

"There is a lot of difficulty in transportation of vegetables due to landslides and heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh. It takes 6 to 8 hours more than usual in exportation of vegetables from the producers due to which the price of tomato might reach nearly Rs 300 per kilogram," Azadpur Mandi wholesaler Sanjai Bhagat told PTI

"Tomato supply has been affected across the country for the last two months owing to weather abnormalities. In the last two days, arrivals in Azadpur, which is the main feeder for Delhi, has also dropped drastically. Due to short supply, prices have sharply shot up in wholesale, resulting in impact at retail prices too," a Mother Dairy spokesperson said.

The supply of tomatoes have also reduced as heavy rainfall in the Himachal region have damaged the crops. As both supply and demand are low, vendors are facing loss.

"Vendors are facing difficulties like late exportation of vegetables, deterioration of quality. Moreover, customers have been refusing to buy vegetables like tomatoes, capsicum, cauliflower and cabbage", said Anil Malhotra member of the Azadpur Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee.

Also Read: Tomato prices: Government cuts price of subsidised tomato to Rs 70/kg

In an effort to tackle the surging prices, the government in July introduced subsidised tomatoes at Rs 70/KG in certain parts of the country.