Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The La Nina effect, which extended the onset of the Monsoon season, the Biparjoy cyclone in June, and an extremely hot, humid, and prolonged summer, adversely affected horticulture and floriculture in several Indian states, severely impacting supplies of vegetables and flowers.
But tomato took the cake: its high prices in some Indian cities have made petrol and apples look cheaper!
Such high prices also attracted thieves. The media reported from Bengaluru that miscreants stole tomatoes worth Rs. 2.50 lakh from a farm house!
According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the average retail price for tomatoes across India is Rs. 83.29 per kg.
But the media reported that Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) witnessed tomato’s highest price in the country on Wednesday, at Rs. 160 per kg. In neighboring Tamil Nadu, the prices skyrocketed to Rs. 155/kg.
In West Bengal’s Siliguri, the tomato was sold at Rs. 155/kg while buyers in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, witnessed rates of Rs. 150/kg. Delhi and Kolkata faced prices of Rs. 110 and Rs. 148 respectively.
Chennai and Mumbai, however, were exceptions as buyers could get the tomato at Rs.60/kg and Rs.58/kg, respectively, from fair-price shops. Tomato prices crossed Rs. 100/kg in Bengaluru last week.
The exorbitant prices triggered memes on social media and sparked concerns among the people, while the government said this seasonal surge will subside in the next 15 days when new crops hit the markets. What the markets are selling now are tomatoes from cold storage.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee instructed her government’s retail network, Sufal Bangla, to provide tomatoes at fair prices to the public. Even then, the price remained relatively high at Rs.115/kg.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin directed tomato sales through 82 fair-price shops in Chennai, giving some relief to buyers who paid Rs.60/kg. Minister for Cooperatives KR Periyakaruppan said, if necessary, this initiative would be extended to other parts of the state.