Govt. steps in as tomato prices breach the ₹100-mark in Vizag

Tomato prices double in city due to supply shortage, reaching ₹100/kg; officials take steps to stabilize prices.

Tomato prices have doubled in the city in just over a week.

From ₹50 per kg less than 10 days ago, the kitchen essential is now selling at ₹100 a kg in private markets. Consumers can buy the vegetable at Rythu Bazaars for ₹68 a kg, but will have to encounter serpentine queues.

Fluctuations in the prices of tomato are not new. Prices skyrocket in the months of July and August due to dwindling supplies from the Rayalaseema region, and generally return to normal in a few weeks’ time once stocks stabilise, say officials.

Agriculture Department officials say that for the last 10 to 15 days, Rayalaseema region, especially Madanapalle, from where most of the tomato stock is procured, has been witnessing heavy rains. Damage to crop and transportation issues are the reasons behind the decline in the supply of tomatoes, say officials.

For example, MVP Rythu Bazaar, one of the largest in the city, is receiving around 80 quintals of tomato per day, while the required quantity is over 100 quintals.

Capitalising on the shortage, private markets and vendors have been selling tomato for at least ₹100 per kg in the city. At some places, it is selling for as high as ₹120.

“Usually, when prices are around ₹40, we buy two kg of tomato as we use it to make chutney, or in most of the dishes. Now, when prices are close to ₹100, we make do with just one kg, sometimes even 500 gm. Authorities must step in and take measures to bring the prices down,” said Murala Kanaka Lata, a resident of Visalakshi Nagar.