Tomato prices burn kitchen budgets in MP:Rates touch 5-year January high at Rs 50 per kg; consumers warned of further rise in February

Without tomatoes, the taste of dal and vegetables is incomplete, but tomatoes are selling for up to 50 rupees per kg. Earlier, we used to buy 2 kg a week, now we are managing with half to one kg. Cooking vegetables in her kitchen, Mamta says food no longer tastes the same because tomatoes have become expensive. She says she now uses fewer tomatoes due to high prices. Mamta’s problem is not unique, as households across the state are facing the same issue. In January last year, tomatoes were sold at Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg along with other vegetables. This year, however, tomato prices are still as high as Rs 50 per kg. The situation is more worrying because Madhya Pradesh is the largest tomato-producing state in the country. Usually, tomatoes from MP are supplied to other states. This year, however, tomatoes are being brought into MP’s mandis from outside states. A comparison of tomato prices over the past years by a Bhaskar reporter shows that this is the first time in the last five years that tomato prices have touched Rs 50 per kg in January. The question is, what is the reason for tomatoes being expensive in the state that produces the most tomatoes in the country? How long will tomato prices remain high? Tomatoes did not come from the local market, so prices increased
Bhopal vegetable vendor Umesh Gupta says that currently, radish-spinach, potatoes, and other vegetables are selling for 15-20 rupees per kg in the market, while tomatoes are selling for 40 to 50 rupees per kg. In other years, local farmers’ tomatoes would reach the market by January, and their price would rarely exceed 15-20 rupees per kg, but this year, good quality tomatoes are not coming from local farmers. Many farmers’ crops in the Indore, Dhar, Dewas, Khargone, Shivpuri belt have been affected due to rain. The supply of tomatoes in the local market has decreased by 30-40%. Naturally, the decrease in supply is affecting its prices. To meet the shortage of local supply, the market has to import tomatoes from Karnataka (Bengaluru) and Maharashtra (Nashik, Sangli). Transport, loading-unloading, and damage costs are added to external supply. This cost is directly added to the price. According to traders, tomatoes coming from Bengaluru are costing 35-40 rupees per kg in wholesale. Adding market fees and retail margin, the price reaches 50-60 rupees. Other green vegetables are cheap
In January, the production of vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, radish, and peas is at its peak. Cold weather is favorable for these crops, so supply is high and prices are low. Farmers are getting good prices
During January, tomato prices usually remain normal. In the last 5 years, tomatoes have hovered around 15 to 30 rupees per kg, but this year prices are two to three times higher. According to Pawan, a tomato trader in Indore, the tomato market is doing well this year. Farmers who planted tomato crops are happy. Due to light rain during Diwali, tomato crops were damaged in MP and outside. But the remaining crop is fetching good prices. Farmer Dharmendra of Khargone Bamanpuri is getting good prices for tomatoes this year. Dharmendra has planted both hybrid and local varieties of tomatoes in his field. Dharmendra said that due to crop damage and low prices in previous years, farmers reduced the area under tomato cultivation this season. This has also affected production. Light rains in October also damaged some farmers’ crops, which is why good prices are being received. Immediate relief will be available now, prices will rise again in February
Pawan, a wholesale vegetable trader, believes that due to the cold, the supply of tomatoes was low, but due to the sun coming out, tomatoes have started ripening in the fields, which will now cause tomato prices to start falling. Prices could fall to Rs 30 by the first fortnight of February. But as soon as the wedding season arrives in February, prices will surge again. The market works on the mathematics of demand and supply. February is the wedding season, so due to increased demand, prices will not fall much.