Tomato prices in Pune drop below Rs 100/kg thanks to new crop arrivals

“Given the better prices, most farmers, who normally do not go for tomatoes, opted for the crop earlier than usual. Those who had access to irrigation were the ones who mostly did so,” Abhijit Gholap, a tomato grower from Pune district’s Junnar taluka, said. Many farmers from Nashik and Ahmednagar had taken to tomatoes in the hope of good returns, he explained.

The retail price of tomato crossed the Rs 100-Rs 120/kg mark in Pune towards the end of June. This trend continued till the second week of July. The price rise was mainly on account of lower-than-expected arrivals in the wholesale markets. Continuous low prices in March and April had led many farmers to destroy their standing crops. Also, a lower-than-expected crop due to pest attacks and viruses saw farmers complain of lesser yields.

Over the last few days, prices have corrected, mainly due to improved crop arrivals in the wholesale markets.

Gholap and other farmers said crop arrivals from Nashik, Ahmednagar, Solapur and other areas are bound to increase in the days to come. “Once the arrivals from Nashik increase, the prices will correct further in the retail market,” he said.

With tomato prices surging across the country, earlier this month, the Centre through its agencies like the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation Of India Limited had taken to procuring tomatoes from various production centres and selling them in metros.