MADURAI: Prices of tomatoes and broad beans have skyrocketed following a steep fall in arrivals triggered by incessant rain across southern districts. A 15 kg crate of tomatoes, which was sold for Rs 200 two days ago, has now increased to Rs 450 and Rs 500, and traders attribute the surge to poor supply caused by rain disrupting the harvest as well as transportation from other regions.
R Sekar, a trader from Mattuthavani market, said, “The wholesale market usually receives around 250 tonnes of tomatoes from Dindigul, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka every day. However, currently, arrivals have dropped to about 150 tonnes or even less. The shortage has pushed up prices, and there are chances of it increasing further if the rain intensifies.”
Meanwhile, broad beans, sourced mainly from Madurai, Theni, and Dindigul, have also witnessed a sharp spike. Normally, as the market received about five tonnes a day, it has come down to just two tonnes. As a result, prices have soared from Rs 40-150 per kg to Rs 140-Rs 200 per kg. However, farmers from Dindigul and Theni have expressed concern that persistent rain has damaged the standing crops and delayed the harvest.
N Chinnamayan, president of the Mattuthavani Central Market Traders Association, said, “Nearly 70% of the tomatoes arriving at the market perish within a day due to the rain, and the market does not have a dedicated cold storage facility. The only available storage owned by the agriculture business department is located nearly one kilometre away. The government should consider constructing a cold storage unit within the market to reduce wastage.” Meanwhile, R Rajesh Kannan from Thenur said, “Even a small quantity of vegetables is very expensive, and for a middle-class family, managing the daily kitchen expense has become hard.”
