The humble tomato is now on par with the elitist petrol: both cost Rs 100 in some of the cities of India. The supply of the most sought-after vegetable has gone up to Rs 120 in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district, whereas, in Chennai, the price of tomatoes has gone up to Rs 160 per kg.
All this is happening due to crop failure in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. With scanty supply and an increase in demand, prices have gone through the roof.
However, there’s some relief in the prices of carrots and cauliflower. They are priced at nearly Rs 50. But, other vegetables like beans, brinjal and ladyfinger are in the range of Rs 60-80.
Tomato is one of the prominent vegetables. Due to high prices, the ingredient has disappeared from the kitchen and salad plates of the consumers.
"Due to rains in southern Indian states, crops got damaged; so, rates of those items have increased here. But this is not the sole reason behind this state of affair," a farmer said. Vegetable wholesalers said that the prices of vegetables have increased sharply due to the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel. The cost of transportation is also one of the reasons for rise in the prices of tomatoes.
"The weekly budget is fluctuating because of rising prices of essential kitchen items. Not just tomatoes, all items cost more, making it difficult to cook a proper meal," said Sakshi K, a homemaker. Another customer said that our monthly budget is getting disturbed due to rising tomato prices.
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Rains in Himachal Pradesh have also resulted in a hike in the prices of vegetables. According to sources, it has come to light that the prices of vegetables, especially, tomatoes will not go down until Patiala will not start supplying them. Within the next 10-15 days, Patiala will start supplying tomatoes.