Vegetable prices continue to soar, tomato price touches ₹100 a kg

Attempts to keep tomato prices stable with additional procurements from outside Kerala have not met with success, say officials of the Kerala State Horticultural Products Development Corporation Horticorp

Keeping vegetable prices stable is turning out to be a tough task with more items turning pricey this week in Kerala markets. Retail prices of tomato and shallot have shot up to ₹100 a kg due to low arrivals from other States, say traders. Several other items, including ginger, green chillies and beans, also remain expensive.

Tomato prices have witnessed an almost overnight jump, according to traders. At the Connemara market in Thiruvananthapuram, the vegetable cost ₹100 a kg on Wednesday. Wholesalers in Kochi say movement of the vegetable has slumped to about 60% of the normal level. This has happened almost overnight and without any warning. The market closed for the week on Saturday on a quiet note. But on Monday, the price went up to at least ₹100 a kg in several markets in and around Kochi and retailers sold it for about ₹110 a kg. Only a week ago, tomato was being sold at ₹45 to ₹50 a kg in the State.

“Even the simple rasam has become a costly dish these days,” says Prema K.P., a homemaker in Kozhikode. Sunesh Bhasi, a hotelier in Kochi, says the sharp rise in tomato prices have dealt a blow to hoteliers as tomatoes go into almost all vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations.

Attempts to keep tomato prices stable with additional procurements from outside Kerala have not met with success, say officials of the Kerala State Horticultural Products Development Corporation (Horticorp). ‘‘We contacted markets, including those in Tenkasi and Pune, but availability remains low,’‘ says J. Sajeev, Managing Director, Horticorp.

Shallot, which cost around ₹82-₹85 a kg in mid-June, was going for ₹100 in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

While the prices of some items such as potato, drumstick and onion have dipped, beans and ginger continue to remain pricey. Beans, which cost ₹100 a kg two weeks ago, cost ₹120 a kg at the Connemara market on Wednesday. ‘‘Good quality beans cost ₹120, while cheaper varieties are available for ₹80 and ₹90 per kg,’‘ says Chandran, a vendor at the market.

Ginger prices also continue to remain high in Kerala. Good quality ginger cost ₹240 a kg on Wednesday while a lower quality variety was being sold for ₹100. The price of carrot ranged between ₹50 and ₹90 per kg depending on quality, according to vendors in Thiruvananthapuram.