Rain impact: Tomato price up by 40 percent at Koyambedu, Chennai

“From last month there was a shortage in supply and tomatoes were sold for Rs 30 per kg. The prices gradually increased and have now shot up by 40 per cent, to Rs 65 per kg. Usually, the market receives 80-100 truckloads of tomatoes. Due to heavy showers destroying the crops in the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, there is a supply shortage. Now we are receiving less than 40 truckloads of the vegetable,” said Thiagarajan R, a wholesale tomato trader.

Apart from tomatoes, the supply of onion also has come down by 20 per cent, with the prices increasing to Rs 30 per kg. The traders said they are receiving mere 70 truckloads of onions per day against the usual supply of 100 truckloads. “The supply from Belhari and Nasik has come down, though the onion prices remained stable for Rs 15 per kg for the past few months. Now it has doubled and is expecting a spike in the coming week,” said P Sukumaran, treasurer, Koyambedu Wholesale Merchants’ Association.

Even other vegetables witnessed an increase by five per cent, currently, carrots are sold for Rs 50 per kg, potatoes Rs 20 per kg, beans Rs 40-45 per kg, broad beans and brinjal Rs 40 per kg, cabbage, cucumber and chow chow Rs 20 per kg, and beetroot Rs 20-25 per kg. The traders said till Dasara, the vegetable prices would be stable and only from next week, depending on the supply, the rates will be predicted.

Meanwhile, the retail vendors in the city are selling tomatoes at Rs 65-70 per kg, due to supply shortage and surge in diesel prices. They are worried that since all the vegetable prices increased, the sale has reduced.