'Puree, ketchup demand up 40% as people give tomatoes a miss'

New Delhi: As tomato prices hit the roof, the demand for its puree and ketchup has shot up by 40 percent within one month, a study has claimed.

"Demand for tomato puree and ketchup has shot up by 40 percent within one month as people have curtailed the use of tomato and prefer dishes which do not require much use of tomatoes..," the study by industry body Assocham said.

The rise in tomato prices along with pulses have also affected the budget of about 78 percent families across various cities. The maximum impact was felt in Delhi-NCR followed by Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

"According to the survey, about 78 percent of households find it difficult to manage their budget and are squeezing families' finances to the lowest level due to sudden rise in price of tomatoes, pulses..," it said.

With the prices of tomato shooting up to Rs 80-100 per kg, nearly double of what was selling just a month back, the average consumer is either giving it a miss or picking up just a quarter of a kilo, it added.

As per a recent government data, the country's tomato output is pegged at 18.28 million tonnes in the 2015-16 crop year(July-June) as against 16.38 million tonnes in the previous year.

Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha are the major tomato producing states.