Why prices are going up for tomatoes beyond Rs 100
For the past few days as we see there has been a rise in the cost of tomatoes which are used on a day-to-day basis in every household. The cost of tomatoes has increased to Rs 80–120 per kg in the retail sector, while it has increased to Rs 65–70 per kg in the wholesale market.
The reasons for such an increase in the price are high temperature, low production, and delayed monsoons in most parts of the country. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which is responsible for controlling price inflation, is struggling with the price of tomatoes, which were being sold for Rs 3-5 per kg in May.
“The cost of tomatoes has doubled over the past two days. Tomato supply from nearby states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana has decreased. Tomatoes are currently coming from Bangalore. The recent rain has harmed the tomato plants that were growing on the ground. Ashok Ganor, a tomato seller from Delhi’s Azadpur wholesale market, claimed that only plants that grow vertically with the assistance of wires were saved.
Farmers were persuaded to leave their fields due to the cheap price, which led to poor crop yield.
Due to the low rates, farmers did not apply fertilizers or pesticides to their crops. According to Ajay Belhekar, a farmer from the Narayangaon region of tomatoes in Maharashtra, who now exports to Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Kolkata, and has begun receiving inquiries from Delhi, this resulted in an increase in the number of cases of pest and disease as well as a decline in production.
The high prices may not necessarily continue in the upcoming weeks, though. They might decrease because harvesting will shortly start in many new places. However, prices might stay steady if it rains frequently in Himachal Pradesh and other agricultural regions, according to Ganor.
Media sources indicate that fewer tomato seed was sown last year because most farmers switched to planting beans, which had a high price the previous year.