KURNOOL/CHITTOOR/VIJAYAWADA : While the retail prices of tomato touched Rs 100 per kg on Friday, the vegetable was sold for Rs 78 at rythu bazaars in Kurnool. The situation is more or less the same across the State with tomato prices hovering between Rs 80 and Rs 90. Meanwhile, the State government has commenced its market intervention through rythu bazaars, where the rates are Rs 10-Rs 15 less than the open markets. However, no price has been fixed.
In a press release on Friday evening, Agriculture Minister Kakani Govardan Reddy said 70 metric tonnes of tomato was being arranged for sale at economic rates at rythu bazaars.He added there was a good response to the government initiatives at rythu bazaars as evident from long queues and sold-out boards. According to officials, efforts are underway to procure more tomatoes from other States to stabilise their prices in Andhra Pradesh.
In Kurnool, less arrivals to the market led to the abnormal increase in the tomato price. Even the largest tomato wholesale market at Pathikonda witnessed ‘zero’ arrivals for a few days, yard secretary M Srinivasulu said. Tomatoes are being sold for Rs 80-Rs 90 a kg in Nellore, Tirupati and Chittoor districts as wekk. High demand for the local supply from other States and deficit cultivation of the crop in Madanapalle and its surrounding areas led to the price spikes over the last two weeks.
While the farmers are overjoyed, it is the consumers who are bearing the brunt of the high prices of tomato. In the wake of the losses incurred last season, tomato growers in Chittoor and other districts decreased the cultivation area, leading to a sharp decline in the production. Traders expect that the soaring of the tomato prices may continue till the end of May.
The Madanapalle market has been getting an average of 190-240 metric tonnes of tomatoes on a daily basis from Madanapalle, B Kothakota, Tamballapalle and Punganur from the State and Rayalpadu and Srinivasapuram from Karnataka. However, on Friday, only 155 MTs reached the market.