Retail tomato prices have further shot up in metro cities due to supply disruption caused by heavy rainfall in the tomato-producing regions. As per a PTI report, prices have reached as high as Rs 155 per kg across major cities. The report citing official data said that in metropolitan cities, the retail prices of tomatoes varied between Rs 58 and Rs 148 per kg.
Kolkata recorded the highest price at Rs 148 per kg, while Mumbai had the lowest at Rs 58 per kg. In Delhi and Chennai, tomato prices were observed at Rs 110 per kg and Rs 117 per kg, respectively, as per the report.
As per the data maintained by the consumer affairs ministry, the average all-India retail price was Rs 83.29 per kg, with a modal price of Rs 100 per kg, the report said. The highest Rs 155 per kg was in Siliguri, West Bengal, the data showed.
Meanwhile, in the Delhi NCR, as per the report, the local vendors are selling tomatoes in the range of Rs 120-140 per kg depending on the quality and locality.
"We have purchased best quality tomato at Rs 120 per kg from Azadpur wholesale market and selling at Rs 140 per kg in retail," local vendor Jyotish Kumar Jha in Paschim Vihar told the news agency.
Over the past two weeks, the supply of tomatoes from the producing states has experienced disruptions, primarily due to challenges in harvesting and transportation in the rainy season. The government has acknowledged that the recent surge in tomato prices is a seasonal occurrence, as prices tend to be higher during this period. However, it is anticipated that within the next 15 days, the prices will begin to stabilize, and within a month, they are expected to return to normal levels.