Tomato prices breach ₹150 mark in Bengaluru

Production was anyway expected to be lower as some farmers had opted out of cultivating tomatoes citing poor earnings. Adding to that, about 50% of production in Karnataka has gone down the drain due to leaf curl viral disease.

Bengaluru

The prices of tomato, which has been spiralling up, has now breached the ₹150 per kg mark in retail shops in Bengaluru. Production was anyway expected to be lower as some farmers had opted out of cultivating tomatoes citing poor earnings. Adding to that, about 50% of production in Karnataka has gone down the drain due to leaf curl viral disease.

In a retail shop at J.P. Nagar, a customer settled for just two pieces of tomatoes when the vendor quoted ₹163 per kg. The vendor claimed to have bought at ₹145 per kg from a nearby wholesale market.

The prices in HMT Layout and Yeshwantpur are hovering between ₹130 and ₹155 per kg depending on what price the vendor purchased the fruit. 

Abdul Khader, a vendor in Jayanagar 9th block, said that while some customers refuse to purchase the fruit after hearing the price, a few are opting to buy 3 to 4 pieces.

In the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard in Bengaluru, a box of tomatoes (10-13 kg) was being sold in the range of ₹1,200-1,500 on July 5, and experts do not expect the prices to come down soon. Prices may start coming down only after two months when the fresh harvest hits the market. 

Chikkegowda, secretary, Bengaluru APMC Association, said, “About three months ago, prices of tomatoes were as low as ₹40 per box, which discouraged farmers. On the other hand, leaf curl virus disease halved the production of an already poorly cultivated horticulture crop. In Kolar, the APMC received 3.2 lakh quintals of tomatoes as against 5 lakh in June 2022. This shows the gap in production.”