Journalism of Courage
Retail markets across the country have reported a sharp correction in tomato prices with the vegetable trading below Rs 50 per kg. Improved arrivals have resulted in wholesale prices tumbling down. The present trend is expected to continue for the next few months.
In Pune, the retail price of tomato is Rs 32-40 per kg as compared to Rs 72-100 per kg at the start of the month. The price drop has been noticed since mid-August. The consumer price in Delhi has fallen to Rs 43 per kg from Rs 177 per kg at the start of the month. The trend is similar across the country—prices have dropped by more than 50 per cent.
The reason for this sharp correction is the better arrival and availability of tomatoes in the markets. Tomato prices caused concern last month and a major part of August as lower-than-normal arrivals had pushed them up.
However, farmers in most parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh had advanced their kharif planting, leading to the better availability of the kitchen staple. Arrivals in Pune, Nashik and Ahmednagar have all shown upward trends. Narayangaon’s market in Pune district has reported on an average the arrival of 11,000-12,000 crates (each crate has 20 kg). Pimpalgoan Baswant’s market in Niphad taluka of Nashik has reported the arrival of around 60,000-65,000 crates daily. Wholesale prices are Rs 20-25 per kg in the markets.
Abhijit Gholap, a tomato grower from Junnar taluka of Pune, said the prices had stabilised mostly. The better arrival was due to farmers opting for tomatoes in June-July, when water availability was better. Farmers in otherwise non-tomato areas had also gone for the crop, thanks to the better prices the kitchen staple had fetched.
But Gholap said that growers in Nashik had reported early infestation of the crop with the tomato mosaic virus, which can cause problems in the days to come. “Ground reports have said the virus has affected most of the fields in and around Niphad taluka,” he said.
