The price of tomato, a crucial kitchen staple, has skyrocketed to Rs 100 per kg and In some colonies prices have touched Rs 120 a kg. The surge in tomato prices is not the only concern for Delhi and NCR residents, prices of other vegetables including onion and potato have also increased. Onions are being sold at Rs 80 per kg while potato prices range between Rs 30 to 40 per kg. The retail rate of tomato was Rs 50 per kg till the third week of September.
This has increased the cost of a home-cooked vegetarian meal by up to 11 per cent in September. The average cost of a vegetarian meal was Rs 31.3 in September. While vegetables account for about 37 per cent of a vegetarian meal cost, pulses, which constitute 9 per cent, also saw a 14 per cent rise in prices last month.
There are reports that the retail price of tomatoes, onions and potatoes across the country has almost doubled in a month. The reasons for the increase are said to be adverse weather conditions such as high humidity in producing states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, and crop loss due to prolonged monsoon. Traders attributed this to a supply shortage from Karnataka and Maharashtra as the second crop cultivation ended.
The rates of tomatoes have also gone up in the major wholesale vegetable markets of Delhi, including Azadpur Mandi, Ghazipur Mandi, and Okhla Sabzi Mandi. According to tomato traders at Azadpur Mandi, presently 30 to 35 trucks arrive daily now, as against 50 to 60 trucks per day.
The wholesale market sells the tomatoes at Rs 70-80 a kg and traders anticipate that the price might touch 150 a kg in the coming days. The wholesale price of onion was at Rs 45 a kg, and Potatoes at Rs 30 a kg. It will take at least five to six weeks or more for the supply to normalise.
This is the third time since July when retail tomato prices have crossed Rs 100 a kg in Delhi and NCR. Similar trends were seen in July and August this year, due to the supply disruption from the producing centres owing to rains. Notably, the Ministry of Agriculture estimated an increase of tomato production by 4.38 percent to 21.32 million tonnes, driven by last year’s price surge.
As per Price Monitoring Division of the Department of Consumer Affairs, average price of tomato was at Rs 90 a kg in Delhi on Monday. Similarly, onions were being sold at Rs 58 a kg and potatoes at Rs 40 a kg.In the past three months, the wholesale price of tomatoes surged by 73.24 per cent.
In a bid to address rising tomato prices, the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) on Monday initiated a market intervention by directly procuring tomatoes from mandis and selling them at a subsidised rate of Rs 65 per kilogram at 50 locations of Delhi-NCR. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare initiated the retail sale of tomatoes through mobile vans and NCCF retail shops at Krishi Bhawan.
Other vegetables have also seen price increases. Beans are now selling for Rs 120 a kg, Capsicum between Rs 80 to Rs 100 a kg, Bitter Gourd at Rs 60 a kg, Bottle Gourd at Rs 50 a kg, Cabbage at Rs 80 a kg, Drumstick at Rs 70 a kg, Cucumber at Rs 60 a kg, Brinjal at Rs 60 a kg and elephant foot yam at Rs 80 a kg. Coriander Leaves have prices ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 120 a kg.
Rajeev Parmar, a Saket resident, said, “We have to reduce consumption to manage expenses.”
According to Ministry of Agriculture’s estimates, onion production is likely to drop by 19.76 per cent to 24.24 million tonnes due to lower yields in key regions. Other vegetables such as brinjal, elephant foot yam, and capsicum may also see reduced output. Potato production is also set to decline by 5.13 per cent to 57.05 million tonnes. These drops could pose challenges in controlling prices of two essential items, which play a crucial role in food inflation.
