The price of tomato, which hit the roof recently, fell to ₹80 on Thursday at the Koyambedu wholesale market.
M. Thyagarajan, president, Koyambedu Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers Merchants’ Association, said the market received 45 truckloads of tomatoes, mainly from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. A few truckloads have come from Krishnagiri and Chhattisgarh too.
“We received an additional 15 truckloads in the market, when compared with Wednesday, when the price of tomatoes was ₹110 a kg. Hybrid tomatoes are sold up to ₹120 a kg, depending on their quality. The cost may further decrease if more truckloads arrive,” he said. Normally, the market receives about 80 truckloads of tomato daily.
Wholesale traders said prices of several locally grown vegetables, including brinjal and okra, hit the three-figure mark because of the rain. It may take another month for the prices to stabilise after the next harvest.
Meanwhile, the Department of Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection, has started selling tomatoes at a subsidised rate in its farm fresh outlets.
In Tiruvallur district, Collector Alby John Varghese inaugurated the sale of tomatoes in 12 places, at a subsidised rate of ₹79 a kg. There are plans to sell about 1,000 kg of tomatoes daily through the outlets.
