Tomatoes no longer in consumers' grocery list

Chennai: Costing between Rs 90-Rs 100 in the retail market, skyrocketing tomato prices have been pinching consumer pockets for the past three
days. Consumers are forced to remove the vegetable from the grocery list.

The prices, which remained low till April, started to soar from the first week of May, putting lower middle class and middle class people at a spot. Though the price managed to stay at Rs 50-60 per kilo for a month, it escalated to Rs 70 in  the wholesale market after June 11.

Talking to Deccan Chronicle, R. Soundararajan of Koyambedu Vegetable Traders' Association,  said the rates would remain the same for another month. “The prime suppliers to Koyambedu market including Palamaner, Ottapalli in Andhra Pradesh suffered maximum temperatures, resulting in crop damage,” he said. Other prime districts in Karnataka, including Kolar, expanded their export market to Gujarat and Maharashtra due to the peak demand and high profits.

Experts also attribute the price hike to the rise in diesel rates, which affects  transportation. The situation is critical as the vegetable is not available in major super markets and retail shops.

Traders in Koyambedu market also blame the State government for not improving cold storages. “While even a remote village in neighbouring states has over 10 cold storage facilities, it is shocking that the existing facility at Koyambedu market stays non functional,” said B. Murugan, a trader.

"Tomatoes are cheap and easy to cook. Price hike has affected my budget for the month,” said Rohith R, a bachelor. It is the small food outlets that are seeing losses with the rising price. “We still have to buy tomatoes in the same quantities because we cannot compromise on the taste by using substitutes" said a chef, Namitha

(With inputs from Lakshmi Ajikumar)