Over the course of the past week, the prices of tomatoes at Mother Dairy’s Safal outlets have witnessed a significant surge, reaching nearly twice their previous rates.
The surge in prices can be attributed to disruptions in tomato supplies caused by heavy rainfall in major tomato-producing states.
On Tuesday, the highest quality tomatoes at Safal stores were priced at INR 78 per kilogram, while some other varieties were also available at relatively lower rates.
The Delhi-NCR market is home to a network of more than 300 Safal stores.
A Mother Dairy spokesperson said, “With the onset of monsoon, the tomato crop is currently going through a seasonal transition. Rainfall in areas such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have impacted the crop and also restricted its supply, resulting in a demand-supply gap.”
According to a report from news agency PTI, vegetable vendors in the national capital are retailing tomatoes at prices ranging from INR 80 to INR 120 per kilogram, varying based on the location and quality.
In the realm of online retail, Otipy, an agritech startup, is offering tomatoes at a rate of INR 86 per kilogram. On the e-commerce platform Big Basket, prices for tomatoes range from INR 80 to INR 85 per kilogram.
Around June 15, the prices of tomatoes were relatively low, ranging from INR 25 to INR 30 per kilogram. However, they started gradually increasing to INR 40, then INR 60, and have now reached the current high rates.
According to a vendor quoted by PTI, the prices at Azadpur, India’s largest wholesale market for fruits and vegetables, have experienced a significant surge.
Government data indicates a slight decline in tomato production, from 20.69 million tonnes in the previous year to an estimated 20.62 million tonnes in 2022-23.