Tomato prices double to Rs 80/kg on sluggish supply

New Delhi: Tomato prices in most retail markets across the country have doubled to Rs 80 per kg in last 15 days due to sluggish supply owing to crop damage.

Earlier this month, prices of tomato - a key kitchen vegetable - were ruling in the range of Rs 20-40 per kg, as per data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Among metros, Chennai recorded the highest price at Rs 80 per kg Tuesday compared with Rs 44 per kg on June 1.

Similarly in Kolkata, the price is ruling at Rs 60 per kg today as against Rs 30 per kg earlier this month.

In Mumbai, rates have risen to Rs 58 per kg from 38 per kg while in Delhi, prices have surged to Rs 51 per kg from Rs 25 per kg in the said period, the ministry data showed.

"Tomato prices have increased in last 15 days in Delhi. There is no sufficient supply as the crop got damaged in Haryana and Punjab because of unseasonal rains," Azadpur Tomato Merchants Association President Ashok Kaushik said.

Due to rains, the crop in South India also got affected because of which prices have also risen there, he said, adding that even heat stress in north India has damaged the crop in some parts.

Unlike potato and onion, there is short shelf life of tomato. The absence of adequate cold storage facilities in the supply chain has aggravated the problem.

The country's tomato production is estimated at 18.28 million tonnes in the 2015-16 crop year (July-June) as against 16.38 million tonnes in the previous year.

Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal and Odisha are the major tomato growing states in the country.