Retail tomato prices drop 22% on improved supplies

Retail herb prices declined 22.4 per cent month-on-month connected improved supplies crossed the country, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said connected Sunday.

The all-India mean retail terms of tomatoes stood astatine Rs 52.35 per kg connected November 14, down from Rs 67.50 per kg connected October 14, according to an authoritative statement.

During the aforesaid period, modal wholesale prices astatine Delhi's Azadpur mandi witnessed a sharper diminution of astir 50 per cent to Rs 2,969 per quintal from Rs 5,883 per quintal, driven by accrued arrivals.

Similar terms corrections were reported from cardinal markets similar Pimpalgaon (Maharashtra), Madanapalle (Andhra Pradesh), and Kolar (Karnataka), the ministry said.

"Though arrivals person subsided astatine large herb centres successful Madanapalle and Kolar, prices person eased owed to seasonal supplies from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat filling proviso gaps nationwide," it added.

Favourable upwind conditions person supported some harvest maturation and creaseless proviso concatenation question from fields to consumers, the connection noted.

The country's herb accumulation is projected to summation 4 per cent to 213.20 lakh tonne successful 2023-24.

While tomatoes are grown year-round, accumulation varies seasonally crossed regions. The ministry said adverse upwind and logistics disruptions importantly interaction prices owed to the crop's precocious susceptibility and perishable nature.

The terms surge during October 2024 was attributed to excessive and prolonged rains successful Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

October and November are the main sowing periods successful large producing states. Regular marketplace availability is maintained owed to the crop's abbreviated cultivation duration and aggregate harvests, the ministry added.