According to government data, Tomato prices in wholesale markets among most producing states have slipped to as low as ₹ 4 per kg due to an excessive supply.
In fact, wholesale tomato prices in 23 of the 31 growing centers monitored by the government were 50% lower than a year ago or lower than the three-year seasonal average. The crop of the early Kharif (summer) of this year crop (July-June) is currently being harvested.
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The wholesale prices of tomatoes dropped down to ₹ 8 per kg on August 28, 2021, down from ₹ 11 per kg last year, in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh which is the country’s top tomato-growing state in India,
Similarly, tomatoes’ wholesale price in the Jalgoan district of Maharashtra, the country’s sixth-largest tomato-producing state, fell by 80% to ₹ 4 per kg on August 28 from ₹ 21 per kg last year.
The same trend followed in Aurangabad district of Maharastra where the eprices fell to ₹ 4.50 per kg from ₹ 9.50 per kg, Solapur district to ₹ 5 per kg from ₹ 15 per kg, and Kolhapur district to ₹ 6.50 per kg from ₹ 25 per kg in the previous year.
Acting Director of the National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF), P K Gupta, told ‘Because of the supply glut, prices have fallen in key growing states main due to the favorable weather, the tomato crop has been excellent, and the tomato production for the summer (early Kharif) season is expected to be higher than last year, and tomatoes falling prices can be saved if food processing companies come to farmers’ aid.
Without a doubt, favorable weather has contributed to increased crop production, but farmers’ proclivity to grow crops whose prices were higher at the time of sowing has also contributed to increased crop production, he added.
The wholesale price of tomato at Kolar district in Karnataka – the country’s fourth-largest tomato producing state – fell to ₹ 5.30 per kg on August 28 from ₹ 18.70 per kg the previous year, while it fell to ₹ 7.30 per kg in Chickkballapur from ₹ 18.50 per kg in the same period.
Same way, in Andhra Pradesh, which is the country’s second-largest tomato-producing state, the wholesale price in Chittoor district crashed from ₹ 40 to ₹ 18.50 per kg.
Prices in Palamaner and two other cities in Chittoor district, Madanpalle and Mulakalacheruvu, fell sharply from the previous year. And the three centers have been identified as development clusters under the government’s ‘Operation Green’ program.
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The Agriculture Ministry reported that India’s tomato production increased by 2.20% to 21 million tonnes in the 2020-21 (July-June) from 20.55 million tonnes the previous year.
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