DHARMAPURI/CHENNAI: Tomato prices have more than doubled from Rs 10-20 in June to Rs 40-45 in many wholesale markets in the state, including Koyambedu in Chennai and Palacode in Dharmapuri.
Traders said that the price has been increasing gradually for the past week due to a shortfall in production which has been impacted by rain in parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
Tomatoes are cultivated throughout the year in Dharmapuri on 12,000 hectares. However, the cultivation area sharply decreases, falling to 1,500 hectares, during the monsoon season as farmers fear rain will damage the crops. At present, Dharmapuri is receiving its share of summer rains due to which the production has decreased leading to hike in prices.
In Chennai, traders said that the arrival of tomatoes has reduced by nearly 30%, leading to price rise. “We usually receive 700 tonnes of tomatoes, mainly from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
It has come down to 500 tonnes. The price increase is due to damage to crops in rains and increase in cost of cultivation,” said M Thiagarajan, president of Koyambedu Vegetable, Fruit and Flower Sellers’ Welfare Association.
Speaking to TNIE, P Ganeshan, a trader from Palacode, said that the situation would be more or less the same for the next 15 days. “It is a routine fluctuation,” he said.