BENGALURU: Tomato prices, which spiralled out of control and left consumers burdened, dropped drastically in Bengaluru on Saturday following an increase in supplies from other parts of the country.
A 15kg box of tomatoes was being sold for Rs 400-600 from an all-time high of Rs 3,100 a few days ago.
In the retail market, the price of one kg of tomato hovered around Rs 50-70 on Saturday as compared to Rs 110-130 five days ago. While the price drop has brought relief to consumers, who are already suffering because of skyrocketing fuel rates, the question being asked by many was: How did tomato prices crash?
Those tracking vegetable prices said: “The prices shot up following heavy rain in tomato-growing districts around Bengaluru such as Kolar and Chikkaballapur and the bordering areas of Tamil Nadu. The price of a 15kg box touched Rs 1,400-1,600 and quickly climbed to over Rs 3,000 as supply was short in the market. Videos of tomato auctions shot by a few traders went viral and drew the attention of tomato growers in north Karnataka districts and neighbouring Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Many traders and farmers diverted their produce to the Bengaluru market, hoping to get higher price and, as a result, the supply went up and the market saw price correction.”
Meanwhile, there has been no rain in south-interior Karnataka for the past two days and locally produced tomatoes have started coming to the market. “Right now, only Kolar farmers are getting tomatoes to the market and the price is Rs 600-800 per box,” said Rajendra, tomato dealer at KR Market. If rain doesn’t continue, prices are likely to reduce to Rs 20-40 per kg in the coming days, traders said.
