After increased supplies from Maharashtra and MP, tomato prices are anticipated to decline.

The government said on Friday that a stronger supply of fresh harvests from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh should lead to a decrease in tomato retail prices.

Retail prices have increased to between Rs 200 and 250 per kilogramme in a number of regions of the nation as a result of supply chain disruption brought on by monsoon rains and other problems.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, the state’s minister of consumer affairs, food, and public distribution, stated that Madhya Pradesh as well as the Nashik, Naryangaon, and Aurangabad belts in Maharashtra are expected to contribute to lower tomato prices. Currently rising tomato prices “may encourage farmers to grow more tomato crop, which is anticipated to stabilise the market,” he added.

Choubey explained the recent rise in prices by citing a number of factors, including “crop seasonality, white fly disease in Kolar (Karnataka), instantaneous arrival of monsoon rains in the northern part of the country, which adversely affected tomato crops in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, and logistics disruptions in isolated areas due to heavy rains.” The minister said that during the week of July 10–16, the average daily retail price of tomatoes had surpassed Rs 150 per kg in Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
In order to check prices of tomatoes and make them affordable, the government has started their procurement under Price Stabilisation Fund and is making them available at a highly subsidised rate to consumers.