By minimising spoilage and ensuring efficient distribution, prices can be kept in check, benefiting both farmers and consumers

The vegetable vendor alarmingly – yet with a mischievous smile – announced that tomatoes per kg today are at Rs 180. Garlic has already dried our desire and ginger has left the refrigerator vacant for some time with its skyrocketing price of almost Rs 380 per kg. Moreover, the customary ginger-garlic paste pouch isn’t appealing enough for the taste buds.

As the humble tomato hits record-breaking prices – with ginger and garlic lending their little support – it's time to take a step back and see the historical roots of this peculiar vegetable’s journey to the Indian subcontinent. While it may seem trivial to delve into history while grappling with astronomical prices that have hit our kitchens – all thanks to devastating climatic changes – a look at the arrival of tomatoes and their supposed medicinal benefits might offer some relief in these trying times.

It was the 16th century when the brave explorers of the European world embarked on a quest to discover new lands and flavours. Christopher Columbus – the famous Italian explorer – is believed to have stumbled upon America, where he found the red, juicy tomato.

Initially greeted with suspicion and considered poisonous by Europeans, tomatoes soon found their way to the Indian subcontinent through Portuguese traders in the early 17th century. One of the earliest records of this vegetable can be seen in the 19th-century cookbook, ‘Nuskha-i Niyamat Khaan’ (1801), under a recipe for tomato soup titled ‘Tarkeeb-i Tomata Sup Yaani Shorba Wilayati Baingan’ (wilayati baingan translates to ‘foreign eggplant’).

Like we Indians embrace all good-bad things with open arms, we opened our arms and embraced this red flavour to our delicacies and this vibrant vegetable became a staple in Indian cuisine, lending its tangy touch to countless dishes – from curries to chutneys to salads, spicing up our dining area and successfully infiltrating our taste buds.

However, apart from being a culinary sensation, the tomato has long been hailed for its supposed medicinal benefits. Early European settlers believed that tomatoes possessed extraordinary healing properties. Science, however, debunked many of these early theories, even though it is undeniable that the legacy of the tomato as a medicinal panacea is largely accepted. They are a good source of potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper.

Fast forward to the present day, and the tomato has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Whether we slice them onto our salads or squeeze them into our sandwiches, the tomato's versatility cannot be denied. However, the current price of tomato has transformed it from a humble staple to an exorbitantly priced luxury item, which is not surprising as to why tomato, once known for its affordability, has become a symbol of the economic disparity between the haves and the have-nots.

It is necessary to understand that the tomato plant, like many other crops, is highly susceptible to the wrath of climate change. Unpredictable weather patterns, extreme heatwaves, and erratic rainfall have taken a toll on tomato production worldwide. India has also been hit. As a result, the supply of tomatoes has dwindled, leading to a surge in prices. Coupled with it are the alleged news reports of the tomato cartels, a clandestine group of individuals who control tomato production and distribution. These cartels allegedly operate in the shadows, manipulating prices, and orchestrating scarcity to maximize their profits.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Experts and agricultural scientists suggest that there is a need to ‘diversify agriculture’. Encouraging farmers to diversify their crops can help reduce the over-dependence on tomatoes and mitigate the impact of price fluctuations. Government initiatives and incentives can be introduced to promote the cultivation of alternative vegetables, ensuring a steady supply and stabilizing prices.

Further empowering local farmers and promoting sustainable farming practices can contribute to a more resilient agricultural system. This can happen by supporting farmers' cooperatives and creating direct market links between producers and consumers and helping bypass intermediaries, ensuring fair prices for both parties.

Given the vulnerability of tomato crops to changing climatic conditions, investing in greenhouse farming can provide a controlled environment for tomato cultivation. This would help protect the crops from extreme weather, increase yields, and stabilize prices.

More than anything else – even thinking beyond promoting backyard gardening and kitchen gardening – there is an urgent need to improve infrastructure and storage facilities and improved transportation infrastructure for reducing post-harvest losses. Also, investments in research and development can lead to the development of tomato varieties that are more resilient to changing climate conditions.

The soaring price of tomatoes may seem like a trivial matter in the grand scheme of things, but it reflects broader issues in our agricultural system that needs serious thought. The tomato's path to stardom has been paved with treacherous plots, rivalling even the most gripping soap operas. From garden to market, it seems every step of the tomato’s journey is now laden with expenses and the price that humans are paying today for their role in facilitating climate change per se. The hole in their pockets is becoming bigger.

(The writer is Programme Executive, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti)