Tomato price soars to ₹100 in Chandigarh, highest in over 5 years

The spike in tomato price has been attributed to the recent spell of rains in the region and will continue further as the supply has been affected

The price of tomatoes, which had started to increase exponentially about a week back, has hit the ₹100 mark at the city’s apni mandis, a first in over five years.

Tomato price in Chandigarh has increased five times in less than a month. (HT File Photo)

The spike in tomato price has been attributed to the recent spell of rains in the region and will continue further as the supply has been affected.

The kitchen staple’s price has increased five times in less than a month. On June 12, it was ₹20 per kg. At ₹100 per kg, the price of tomatoes now is among the highest of all vegetables in the market, only less than exotic vegetables like coloured bell peppers and broccoli.

Speaking about this, Harpreet Singh, a mandi supervisor for the Punjab Mandi Board, said, “Tomatoes are easily affected by extreme weather. High temperatures were followed by rains and gusty winds, which affected production. Chandigarh is still in a better place, as in some nearby places in Punjab, the price has crossed ₹120 per kg.”

Last year, the highest that the price of tomatoes had gone at the apni mandi was around ₹60 per kg. (HT)

Tomatoes in Chandigarh are primarily supplied from Himachal Pradesh, where the crop has been affected by the weather. The tomatoes grown in Punjab have mostly been harvested earlier than schedule to safeguard against rains that has led to a shortage in supply. Therefore, the price can go even higher till the next batch of locally grown tomatoes makes it to the market.

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 grown on hills also affected

The price of other vegetables grown on hills has also increased. Among them, capsicum’s rate has gone up from ₹50 to ₹60 per kg. Coriander’s rate, which is also easily affected by rains, has also touched ₹100 per kg. Earlier in June, it was being sold for ₹40 per kg. The price of onion and potatoes, meanwhile, is stable at ₹25 per kg for both.