Tomato prices to stabilise in fortnight once crop hits from hilly states

He attributed the price hike of tomato to seasonality, which is expected to be completely stabilise by August.

This year, erratic weather conditions in northern regions causing transportation issues and white flies disease in Kolar, Karnataka creating supply issues resulted in a rally in price.

Heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have affected the tomato crop, Singh said.

“It is a highly perishable commodity. Transportation gets affected in areas that received sudden rains. It is a temporary issue. Prices will cool down soon. It happens every year during this time,” Consumer Affairs Secretary added.

According to official figures of the Consumer Affairs Department, retail prices of tomatoes hovered around ₹60 to 70 per kg in Delhi, whereas in states like Uttar Pradesh, they have touched ₹120 per kg.

Singh further informed that the government has also launched a tomato grand challenge from today, where it has invited ideas from industry people and students on improving the preservation and storage of tomatoes and to ensure its supply throughout the year.

The objective of the grand challenge is to develop innovative and cost-effective technologies for pre-production, primary processing, post-harvest, storage and valorisation of tomato. Additionally, this hackathon is aimed at providing comprehensive strategic solutions for reducing the losses while imparting value addition.

Earlier, a top government official said that the spurt in prices of tomatoes is a temporary seasonal phenomenon, and rates will cool down soon. Retail prices of the kitchen staple shot up to ₹100 per kg in major cities.

Updated: 01 Jul 2023, 01:24 AM IST