What will happen to tomatoes price in Dec? Rise or fall. Here’s what Govt says
The retail price of tomatoes is surging across the country with the cost of one-kilogram tomatoes having gone up to ₹75 in the national capital Delhi. According to the government, consumers might get some relief on costly tomatoes in December. The Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry said that the tomatoes price might see a marginal decline next month with the arrival of the fresh crop from northern states.
“Tomato arrivals from north Indian states will start from the beginning of December itself, which will add to availability and lead to falling in prices. In December, arrival is expected to be at par with last year,” the ministry said in a statement.
The arrival of tomatoes in November stood at 19.62 lakh tonne compared to 21.32 lakh tonne in the same period last year.
Why tomatoes prices have shot up?
According to the central government, the retail tomato prices have risen from September-end due to unseasonal rains in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh which led to crop damage and delay in arrival from these states.
Delayed arrivals from north Indian states were followed by heavy rains in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka, which disrupted the supply and also resulted in crop damage.
The average retail tomato price has shot up by 63% to ₹67 per kg over the last year due to unseasonal rains.
Tomatoes prices are highly volatile, and any slight disruptions in the supply chain or damage due to heavy rains result in a spurt in prices.
Tomatoes price to remain high for next two months: Report
In a contrasting viewpoint of the Centre, the Crisil research report has predicted an elevated price of the tomatoes for two more months.
According to global analytics company, Crisil, tomatoes price will remain elevated for two more months till harvest from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan starts reaching the markets from January.
The situation in Karnataka, one of the major tomato growing regions, is so “grim” that the vegetable is being sent from Maharashtra’s Nashik, it said.
Crisil Research said standing crops have been damaged because of excess rains in Karnataka (105% above normal), Andhra Pradesh (40% above normal), and Maharashtra (22%) which are key suppliers during the October-December period.
Tomatoes production this year
This year, the Kharif (summer) production of tomato stood at 69.52 lakh as against 70.12 lakh tonne produced last year, the Agriculture Ministry said.
What is the tomatoes’ price right now?
In the national capital Delhi, retail tomato price has climbed to ₹75 per kg, but in South India, the prices have softened slightly. Check the latest tomatoes price in your city here
- Chennai ₹63/kg
- Thiruvananthapuram ₹80/kg
- Puducherry ₹45/kg
- Hyderabad ₹72/kg
- Bengaluru ₹88/kg
- Port Blair ₹143/kg
The average all India maximum retail price of tomato rose to ₹143 per kg on Friday, November 26 from ₹113 per kg on November 22.
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