Tomato Prices Crash Across Country; Rates as Low as Rs 4/kg in Delhi, Maharashtra And Other States

The wholesale price of tomato at Jalgoan in Maharashtra -- the country's sixth-largest tomato growing state -- fell by 80 per cent to Rs 4 per kg on August 28 from Rs 21 per kg this time last year.

New Delhi: Tomato prices in wholesale markets have crashed dramatically to as low as Rs 4 per kg in many states including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh amid a supply glut, government data showed.

Tomato crop of the early Kharif (summer) season of the 2021-22 crop year (July-June) is being harvested across the country presently. However, the data showed that the wholesale prices of tomatoes in 23 growing centres out of 31 monitored by the government fell by 50 per cent from the year-ago period, that is, below the three-year seasonal average.

According to the data, the wholesale price of tomatoes in Dewas in Madhya Pradesh — the country’s top tomato growing state — fell to Rs 8 per kg on August 28 as compared to Rs 11 per kg in the year-ago period.

Similarly, the wholesale price of tomato at Jalgoan in deshMaharashtra — the country’s sixth-largest tomato growing state — fell by 80 per cent to Rs 4 per kg on August 28 from Rs 21 per kg this time last year. Tomato prices at Aurangabad declined to Rs 4.50 per kg from Rs 9.50 per kg, while that of Solapur to Rs 5 per kg from 15 per kg and in Kolhapur to Rs 6.50 per kg from 25 per kg last year.

“Prices have come under pressure in key growing states because of the supply glut. The tomato crop has been good owing to favourable weather,” National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) Acting Director PK Gupta told PTI.

“The tomato production from summer (early Kharif) season is estimated to be better than last year and farmers can be saved from falling prices if food processing companies come to their rescue,” he noted.

“No doubt, the favourable weather has helped boost the crop production, but farmers’ tendency to grow the crop the price of which was ruling higher… has added to higher production. When production is higher, prices come under pressure,” Gupta said.

India’s tomato production rose by 2.20 per cent to 21 million tonnes in the 2020-21 crop year (July-June) as against 20.55 million tonnes in the year-ago period, as per the Agriculture Ministry’s second advance estimate.

Wholesale Price of Tomato in Other States

The wholesale price of tomato at Kolar in Karnataka — the country’s fourth-largest tomato growing state — dropped to Rs 5.30 per kg on August 28 from Rs 18.70 per kg in the year-ago period, while that of in Chickkaballapura fell to Rs 7.30 per kg from 18.50 per kg last year.

Similarly in Andhra Pradesh, the country’s second-largest tomato growing state, the wholesale price at Palamaner in Chitoor district fell to Rs 18.50 per kg from Rs 40 per kg. Palamaner and two more cities Madanpalle and Mulakalacheruvu in Chitoor district saw prices falling sharply from the year-ago period.

In Uttar Pradesh too, tomato prices fell in the range of Rs 8-20 per kg on August 28 this year from Rs 14-28 per kg in the year-ago period. In West Bengal, the wholesale price of tomato declined to Rs 25-32 per kg from Rs 34-65 per kg during this period last year.

Not just producing states but in consuming markets too, wholesale prices of tomatoes showed a decline.

In Delhi’s Azadpur mandi, the wholesale price of tomato declined to 24 per kg on August 28 from Rs 36 per kg in the year-ago period.

Similarly, in Mumbai, the wholesale price of tomato declined to Rs 12 per kg from Rs 30 per kg, while in Bengaluru it fell to Rs 8 per kg from Rs 30 per kg in the said period.

With PTI inputs