Consumers are seeing red with tomato prices touching an all-time high of ₹140 per kg in Chandigarh apni mandis.
This is the highest-ever that the tomato rates have gone, Punjab Mandi Board (PMB) officials said on Wednesday. They added that the rates are expected to go up higher in the coming days as the recent spell of rains in the region has adversely affected the vegetable’s production and supply from the mountains.
Tomatoes are now among the highest priced vegetables in the market, with only the rates of exotic vegetables, such as coloured-bell peppers and broccoli, higher than it.
Megha Kaur, a local resident, said, “Tomatoes are a vital part of meal preparation but the current rates are disturbing our household budgeting. Government must ensure easy supply of the vegetables across the region so that prices of staple food do not increase.”
Harpreet Singh, a supervisor of Punjab Mandi Board in Chandigarh, said, “The production of locally grown tomatoes gets adversely affected due to increase in temperature and heatwave conditions. When local production stops, we import tomatoes from mountain areas but due to monsoon and sudden blockade on highways due to landslides, the supply got erratic, thus leading to a steep hike in the rates.”
He added, “We are expecting a fresh supply from South India, especially from Maharashtra, soon. It will bring down the rates in the region. But it will take another 10 to 12 days for the same.” He added that currently, tomato rates in Chandigarh are higher than neighbouring cities.
{{/usCountry}}He added, “We are expecting a fresh supply from South India, especially from Maharashtra, soon. It will bring down the rates in the region. But it will take another 10 to 12 days for the same.” He added that currently, tomato rates in Chandigarh are higher than neighbouring cities.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, retailers at the mandis and vegetable vendors are charging as high as ₹160- ₹170 per kg.
Last year, the highest that the price of tomatoes had gone at the apni mandi was around ₹60 per kg. In November 2021, the price of tomatoes had climbed to ₹90 per kg, the highest in recent times, but still had not touched the three-digit mark.
Other vegetables also affected
The price of other vegetables grown on hills has also increased. Among these, the rate of capsicum has gone up from ₹50 to ₹60 per kg whereas brinjal is being sold at ₹60 per kg and bitter gourd at ₹60 per kg. Coriander, which is also easily affected by rains, has also touched ₹160 per kg. Earlier in June, it was being sold for ₹40 per kg. The price of onion and potatoes, meanwhile, is stable at ₹30 per kg for both.