Navi Mumbai: Tomato prices touch Rs 60 per kg in retail due to extended monsoonal activities

Due to extended monsoonal activities in October, the tomato crops in different parts of Maharashtra has caused a price rise. The retail price of tomatoes is now Rs 60 per kg in various parts of the city.

The traders at APMC, Vashi, remarked that the extended rains affected production by around 50%. However, traders at APMC say that this is temporary as the tomato season is hardly a month away.

At present, around 80% of tomatoes in the APMC market are arriving from Nashik and 20% are from other places. But due to the rains, the production of tomatoes has reduced by 50% and has drastically affected the arrival of the product, say, traders.

“Tomatoes are one of the main ingredients of the kitchen and with an increased demand during the festival, people have to shell out more money,” said Nikita Das, a homemaker in Nerul.

“Earlier, 30 to 40 trucks loaded with tomatoes were arriving at the market every day. But since last week half the supply is being received just 20 to 25 trucks which is not sufficient to cater to the demand. As a result, prices have increased in the market due to lower inflows and higher demand”, said another trader.