Tomato price drops as arrival increases in Erode

Wholesale tomato prices drop to ₹15/kg in Erode due to increased arrivals. Fine quality tomatoes sold for ₹15-20/kg. Retail price of 3 to 4kg stood at ₹100. Price expected to drop to

The wholesale price of tomato, which touched ₹140 a kg in July, has dropped to ₹15 a kg at the wholesale market in Erode on Tuesday (September 5). 

Tomatoes from Talavadi, Dharmapuri and Andhra Pradesh arrive at the Nethaji Daily Vegetable and Fruit Market here from where retail trading takes place. On an average, 3,000 boxes, each weighing 15 kg, arrive at the market. During the harvest season in September, the number of boxes increases to 7,000. 

The arrival of about 4,500 to 5,000 boxes to the Erode market every day has lead to drop in price. Fine quality tomatoes are sold for a price ranging from ₹15 to ₹20 a kg, as traders said that arrivals started to increase in the last two weeks. “Tomato saplings planted in June and July are being harvested now and hence, the arrivals have increased,” said a wholesaler.

The demand was also low as there were no major festivals. In retail, three to four kg tomatoes are sold for ₹100. Traders said that the price would drop further as arrivals keep increasing. “Since most of the areas under tomato cultivation did not receive much rain, productivity and harvest was not affected,” said P. Kannan, a wholesaler. He added that only if crops were affected by heavy rain, the price would increase in the coming days. 

Harvesting is in progress and if the current weather prevails, the number of boxes arriving at the market is expected to go up by over 2,000 to 2,500. “If so, the price would fall further to less than ₹5 a kg,” said the wholesaler.