Tomato prices have experienced a significant surge in the past week across the majority of the country, reaching INR 80-120 per kg in the retail market. Wholesale prices have also witnessed a substantial increase, rising from INR 30-35 per kg to INR 65-70 per kg. This price hike can be attributed to a sudden decline in tomato production.
Multiple factors, including intense heat, delayed rainfall, and farmers’ lack of interest in cultivating the crop, led to a significant decline in tomato output. The crash in prices to INR 3-5 per kg in May played a crucial role in discouraging farmers from growing tomatoes.
Ashok Ganor, a tomato trader from Azadpur wholesale market in Delhi, said, “Tomato prices have doubled in the last two days. Supply of tomatoes from neighbouring states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh has reduced. We are now getting tomatoes from Bangalore.”
Ganor further said, “The tomato plants that were on the ground have been damaged during the recent rainfall. Only the plants that grow vertically with the support of wires were saved.”
In order to mitigate the losses resulting from low prices, farmers made the decision to cease caring for their tomato fields. “Due to non-remunerative rates, farmers refrained from spraying pesticides or using fertilizers,” explained Ajay Belhekar, a farmer from the Narayangaon region in Maharashtra, which currently supplies tomatoes to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kolkata, and has recently received inquiries from Delhi. Consequently, this neglect in proper care led to an increased incidence of pests and diseases, ultimately resulting in a decline in tomato production.
Due to the drastic decline in tomato prices, farmers found themselves unable to recoup the expenses incurred during the harvesting and transportation process. Consequently, they were left with no choice but to dispose of their produce or employ the method of driving tractors through the crops to remove them.
“Prices were low till the first week of June. We can’t predict what the prices will be in the coming weeks. They can come down as harvest from many new pockets will begin soon. But if it rains heavily in Himachal Pradesh and other growing areas, then prices may remain firm,” said Ganor.