Tomato prices reach Rs 200/kg in Tamil Nadu

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Tamil Nadu continue to face relentless challenges with the escalating prices of tomatoes, as witnessed on Sunday when the wholesale rate of this vegetable reached Rs 200 per kilogram in the state capital and various towns. The scarcity of tomatoes at the Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai is the primary factor responsible for the steep surge in prices, said P.V. Ahmad, a wholesale vegetable dealer at the Koyambedu market.

He explained to IANS, «The reduced supply of tomatoes from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is attributed to significant crop losses caused by intermittent rainfall in those regions. The heavy rains resulted in a complete crop failure, leading to the current shortage of tomatoes and consequent price hike in the market.» Traders have forecasted that the price may further escalate to Rs 250/kg within the next week. P.

Sukumaran, secretary of the Koyambedu Wholesale Merchants Association, said, «This is the first time since the opening of this market that the price of tomatoes has touched Rs 200 per kilogram. This is unprecedented. He added, „We were expecting the rates to get steady by July 20 but sudden rain has led to the loss of crops and more than 50 per cent of tomatoes cultivated in Andhra and Karnataka have been lost due to the rain.“ While the wholesale market was selling tomatoes at Rs 200 per kilogram, in certain retail shops, tomatoes were sold at Rs 185 per kilogram.