After onion, tomato prices soar to ₹80 per kg

The retail price of tomatoes shot up to ₹80 per kilogram in the national capital on Wednesday after supply to Delhi got affected due to heavy rains in major tomato

The retail price of tomatoes shot up to ₹80 per kilogram in the national capital on Wednesday after supply to Delhi got affected due to heavy rains in major tomato growing states such as Karnataka. The soaring prices of tomatoes come just weeks after the retail cost of onions shot up to ₹60-80 per kg.

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According to traders at the Azadpur Mandi in Delhi, tomatoes have become costlier in the last few days as supplies have been impacted. “Some southern states such as Karnataka and Telangana as well as some hilly states witnessed unexpected rains. This damaged the crops and as a result created a supply disruption,” said a trader and a member of the Azadpur Tomato Merchants Association on condition of anonymity.

At Mother Dairy’s Safal outlets, tomatoes are being sold at ₹58 per kg, while local vendors are selling between ₹60 and 80 per kg on Wednesday, depending on the quality and locality.

As per the central government data, the average retail price of tomato in Delhi increased to ₹54 per kg on Wednesday from ₹45 per kg on November 1.

Meanwhile, price of onions in retail markets in Delhi has come down to below ₹60 per kg due to increase in supply of the bulb by the central government through cooperatives Nafed, NCCF and Mother Dairy. These cooperatives are selling onions at a cheaper rate of ₹23.90 per kg. These agencies are selling onions from the buffer stock maintained by the central government.

Out of 56,700 tonnes of onion stored as buffer stock, 18,000 tonnes have been offloaded in different markets, including Delhi.

However, the price is still on the higher side in the retail market, retailers said.