Ghaziabad: Officials expect tomato price correction by November

Retail prices of tomatoes in Ghaziabad have surged to between Rs50 and Rs100 a kg

Kitchen staple tomato is now selling at exorbitant prices in Ghaziabad. Retail prices in the city have surged and selling between Rs50 and Rs100 a kg in different localities.

Rising prices in prime localities such as Indirapuram, Vaishali, Kavi Nagar, Raj Nagar and others have forced households to reduce consumption, according to officials.(Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Officials at the Sahibabad vegetable market said the rates have soared as the supply of local produce has stopped.

They said rising retail prices in prime localities such as Indirapuram, Vaishali, Kavi Nagar, Raj Nagar and other locations have forced households to reduce consumption a bit.

“The present rate, depending on quality, is between Rs 60-Rs100 a kg in retail. Prices have surged drastically. We have reduced consumption but we cannot stop buying tomatoes,” said Kiran Kumar, a Nehru Nagar resident.

In the old vegetable market at Ambedkar Road, the wholesalers and those selling in retail are charging Rs70-80 per kg from customers, which is affecting the daily household budget.

“Tomato price rise will affect the common man while those with enough purchase power can still purchase the item. We have started using tomato puree and that too in low quantity as an alternative,” said Preeti Singh, a Kavi Nagar resident.

Officials at the agriculture marketing department said consumers will have to wait till November for a price correction as the local produce will start arriving by then.

“The price rise is the result of the exhaustion of the local produce, which is not coming in due to monsoon. Supplies at the Sahibabad vegetable market are mostly from Himachal Pradesh and from Pune. This is a yearly phenomenon,” said Roop Singh, senior inspector.

“In March, when local produce was available, the wholesale prices ranged anything between Rs 900-Rs1,000 per quintal and retail prices were Rs 15-20 per kg. At present, we have wholesale prices of tomato ranging between Rs3,000-3200 per quintal and it is sold in retail at Rs50-Rs80 per kg,” he added.

Retailers have also cashed in and are selling at high prices in prime localities. They said supplies were procured from outside the district as the local produce finished by April.