Tomato turning red hot again at Rs 80 per kg in Chennai

CHENNAI: Tomato prices have soared to Rs 80 per kg in the capital Chennai due to a supply shortage from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as the second crop cultivation ends. The wholesale market sells the fruit at Rs 70 per kg and traders anticipate that the price might touch Rs 100 per kg in the coming days.

Earlier, the Koyambedu wholesale market received 60 to 70 truckloads of tomatoes daily from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and it was sold for Rs 30 to 35 per kg. As the second crop cultivation ended, the production has drastically reduced in the neighbouring states, and now only 40 to 45 vehicles of tomatoes have arrived at the market. So, the price had doubled in a week to Rs 70 per kg.

"Apart from the supply, there has been a brisk sale at the market due to Purattasi month, which is one of the reasons for the surge in vegetable prices including tomatoes. The supply of other vegetables might increase from next week, but the arrival of tomatoes is expected to take time as the third crop cultivation has started recently," said P Sukumaran, treasurer of Koyambedu Wholesale Merchants' Association.

It will take at least two weeks or more for the supply to normalise. "The tomato price might reach Rs 80 per kg in the wholesale market and Rs 100 per kg at retail shops in the city until the Koyambedu market receives a steady flow of tomatoes from mid-October," said M Prabagaran, a tomato vendor at Koyambedu market.

Similarly, other vegetables also saw a sudden surge with beans sold for Rs 100 per kg, board beans at Rs 50 to 60 per kg, potatoes and onions at Rs 30 to 35 per kg each, and carrots at Rs 40 per kg. The traders said brinjal, ladies' finger and water vegetable prices remain steady at city markets which are sold for Rs 15 to 20 per kg.

"If the trend remains the same, the consumption might come down resulting in a price dip," said T Manikandan, a retail vendor at Saidapet.