According to a high-ranking government official, tomato prices are anticipated to decrease in the coming 15 days due to increased supplies from producing centers. The official also stated that within a month, the prices are expected to stabilize and return to their normal levels. This comes as retail prices of tomatoes soared to over INR 100 per kilogram in major cities, causing concerns.

Read More: Tomato prices reach record highs as production slumps, consumers face steep costs

During a media briefing, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh announced that the retail prices of tomatoes in the national capital will witness an immediate decline. This reduction is attributed to the improved supplies coming from Solan and Sirmaur districts in Himachal Pradesh.

“The phenomena of price rise in tomato happens every year at this time. Every agriculture commodity in every country goes through a seasonality in the price cycle. In June, prices reached a high level,” he said.

Additionally, the official emphasized that tomatoes are highly perishable and susceptible to weather vulnerability. This vulnerability has become more prevalent in recent times due to factors such as climate change and other related issues. Consequently, these factors have disrupted the tomato supplies.

The secretary further said, “You cannot store tomato for a long time and transport it for a long distance. There is an inherent vulnerability in the commodity. Transportation is also a big issue.”

June-August and October-November are also lean production seasons and prices in this period normally see a sharp increase, he said.

All India average retail price of tomato on June 29 was ruling at INR 49 per kg as against INR 51.50 per kg in the year-ago same day, he said, and added, “I am not justifying the rate. This also proves seasonality.”

Addressing the complexity of the issue, the secretary acknowledged that the situation poses challenges. However, the government is actively working on resolving the problem and implementing measures to ensure a consistent supply of tomatoes throughout the year. In pursuit of this objective, a Grand Tomato Challenge was launched on Friday, aiming to find innovative solutions and strategies.

It is like a hackathon where ideas are being invited from students to industry stakeholders on primary processing, storage and valorisation of tomato, he said.

Based on data maintained by the Department of Consumer Affairs, the average retail price of tomatoes across India stood at INR 56.58 per kilogram as of June 30. The most frequently occurring price, known as the modal price, was recorded at INR 100 per kilogram, while the highest price observed was INR 123 per kilogram.

In Delhi, the retail price of tomatoes is INR 80 per kilogram, while in Mumbai, it is INR 48 per kilogram. In Kolkata, the retail price stands at INR 105 per kilogram, and in Chennai, it is INR 88 per kilogram.

In other significant cities, the prices of tomatoes were recorded as follows: INR 54 per kilogram in Bengaluru, INR 100 per kilogram in both Bhopal and Lucknow, INR 80 per kilogram in Shimla, INR 98 per kilogram in Bhubaneshwar, and INR 99 per kilogram in Raipur.