Tomatoes are an important part of the Indian household, king of the Indian kitchen, and when their prices are skyrocketing, it disturbs the monthly budget of every Indian family. Above are the few headlines that have really affected every single household in India and are defiantly threatening the Indian economy section. In recent weeks the prices of tomatoes have surged up to Rs 150 to Rs 200 per kilogram in the retail markets and experts don’t see a sign of ease in pricing. The exorbitant rate of tomatoes is attributed to a combination of environmental, logistical, and market factors.
“While the tomato surge, consumers are waiting for the price to come down. However, multiple factors impact tomato price are as follows:”
The responsibility will lie in various factors, including monsoons, inadequate production, and extreme heat.
The first batch is planted in the month of January-March, which results in the first batch of produce during April-June.
The Rabi crop fetches better returns for farmers too. However, the harvest was affected this year by the sudden heat, as it led to pest attacks on tomato crops, resulting in lower produce and higher market rates.
The leaf viruses led to such havoc in Karnataka and Maharashtra that the local Agriculture produce market Committee which received nearly 5.50 lakh quintals of tomatoes in June last year has got just 3.2 lakh quintals this year.
Then comes the unseasonal rainfall in May, the supply of tomatoes has been disrupted in the past weeks from the producing states, where the harvesting and transportation process have been adversely affected. These circumstances have had a notable impact on the availability of tomatoes.