Tomato prices harden, hit Rs 80 per kg in Delhi on supply crunch

New Delhi: Tomato prices in retail markets of the national capital soared to Rs 80 per kg on Friday in view of tight supplies, trade data showed.

The key kitchen staple has become equally dearer in other parts of the country.

For instance, tomato prices in Bengaluru, one of the major producers, are ruling at Rs 45-50 per kg in retail markets. In Aizawl in Mizoram, these are being sold at around Rs 95-100 per kg.

"The availability of tomato is less at present because the crop has been hit badly due to recent rains in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh," said Ashok Kaushik, President of Tomato Merchant Association at Azadpur mandi.

Traders could not source it from Madhya Pradesh as 90 per cent of the crop in the state too got damaged. Farmers have sown again and that crop will arrive in the next 15-20 days, he said.

At Azadpur mandi, Asia's largest wholesale market for fruits and vegetables, tomato is being sold at Rs 40-50 kg. The same tomato is being retailed at a higher rate.

Tomatoes in Delhi retail markets are selling at Rs 70-80 per kg, depending on the quality and locality, whereas it was available at Rs 30-35 in the year-ago period.

According to Kaushik, tomato supplies in the national capital are less by 25 per cent at present.

On an average, 225-250 tonnes of tomato are traded in six major mandis in Delhi on a daily basis. Now, 170-180 tonnes are being traded. Some quantities are being sourced from Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, he added.