According to government data, tomato retail prices have risen to a high of Rs 140 per kg in several parts of southern India as supply have been harmed by heavy rains.
Tomato prices have been high in most retail stores across the country since September, but there has been a substantial increase in southern states recently due to persistent rains.
According to data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry, retail tomato prices in the northern region were ruling in the range of Rs 30-83 per kg on Monday, while those in the western region were prevailing at Rs 30-85 per kg and in the eastern region at Rs 39-80 per kg.
In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, retail tomato prices were Rs 140 per kg in Mayabunder and Rs 127 per kg in Port Blair. On Monday, tomato was available in Thiruvananthapuram for Rs 125 per kg, in Palakkad and Wayanad for Rs 105 per kg, in Thrissur for Rs 94 per kg, in Kozhikode for Rs 91 per kg, and in Kottayam for Rs 83 per kg.
The retail price of the essential culinary vegetable in Karnataka was ruling at Rs 100 per kg in Mangalore and Tumakuru, Rs 75 in Dharward, Rs 74 in Mysore, Rs 67 in Shivamoga, Rs 64 in Davanagere, and Rs 57 in Bengaluru.
On Monday, tomato prices in Tamil Nadu reached 102 rupees per kilogramme in Ramanathapuram, 92 rupees in Tirunelveli, 87 rupees in Cuddalore, 83 rupees in Chennai, and 75 rupees in Dharmapuri.
Tomatoes were sold for Rs 77 per kg in Visakhapatnam and Rs 72 per kg in Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh, and Rs 85 per kg in Warangal in Telangana. On Monday, the retail price of a kilogramme of tomato in Puducherry was Rs 85.
On Monday, tomatoes were sold in metro cities for Rs 55 per kg in Mumbai, Rs 56 per kg in Delhi, Rs 78 per kg in Kolkata, and Rs 83 per kg in Chennai.
Tomato prices are expected to fall in December, according to the consumer affairs ministry, due to the arrival of fresh crops from northern states.
According to the report, retail tomato prices have climbed since September due to unseasonal rainfall in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, which caused crop damage and delayed shipment from these regions.
Heavy rains in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka followed the delayed arrivals from north Indian states, disrupting supply and causing crop damage.
Tomato prices are extremely unpredictable, and any minor disturbance in the supply chain or damage caused by severe rains causes a price spike, according to the report.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, tomato kharif (summer) production this year is 69.52 lakh tonne, up from 70.12 lakh tonne previous year.