Tomato Price Touches Rs 200 Mark Due To Heavy Rains In India

The price of tomato has increased further as it touched Rs 200-mark in parts of the country including Delhi as incessant rains disrupted supplies.

Traders have complained that the rates of other vegetables have also firmed up. Heavy rainfall in producing areas has led to waterlogging leading to the damage of tomato crop and other perishable vegetables grown below the soil, especially onion, and ginger, they said.

There has been heavy rainfall in many parts of the country including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

As per the data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry, the all-India average retail price of tomato was ruling at 104.38 per kg on Monday, with maximum price quoted was Rs 200 per kg in Swai Madhopur and minimum was Rs 31 per kg in Churu in Rajasthan.

Among the big cities, the price of tomato was highest in Kolkata where it was sold at Rs 149 per kg, followed by Rs 135 per kg in Mumbai, Rs 123 per kg in Chennai and Rs 100 per kg in Delhi, the data showed.

The retail price of tomato and other vegetables varies depending on the quality and the location where they are sold. "There has been further disruption in the supply of tomato in Delhi because of the heavy rains in the last two days. If heavy rains continue, it looks unlikely the prices will ease soon," PTI quoted Azadpur Tomato Association President and member of Azadpur Mandi Ashok Kaushik as saying.

The wholesale price of tomato was ruling at Rs 100-160 per kg at Azadpur mandi on Monday. The current demand is being met from Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, he added.

Kaushik also mentioned that every year prices of most vegetables firm up during the monsoon season because some crops get damaged due to waterlogging.

"I purchased at Rs 160 per kg at Azadpur wholesale market and retailing at Rs 170 per kg. Some other vendors are selling at even up to Rs 200 per kg in Delhi," said Jyotish Jha, local retail vendor in Pashchim Vihar.

There has been some increase in retail price of onion and potato besides other vegetables like french beans, cauliflower, cabbage and ginger, he added.

According to trade data, the majority of vegetables are currently priced at a minimum of Rs 60 per kilogram. For instance, lady finger is being sold at Rs 80 per kilogram, while bitter gourd, bottle gourd, and cucumber are priced at Rs 60 per kilogram each. Cauliflower, on the other hand, is being sold at an even higher price of Rs 180 per kilogram. Additionally, ginger prices have witnessed a significant increase from Rs 240 per kilogram to Rs 300 per kilogram in the past two weeks.