Rs 110 two months ago, tomato now costs Rs 10 at Koyambedu

Till September, tomatoes were sold at Rs 10 per kg. After the seasonal rainfall starting in October in Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the rates climbed to Rs 30 per kg. With the Koyambedu wholesale market receiving less supply, the prices further surged by 30 per cent to Rs 70-80 per kg. And in December, the price skyrocketed to Rs 110 per kg. “As the rainfall reduced, there was a marginal increase in the supply, and the prices came down to Rs 40-50 per kg in January and it gradually came down to Rs 20 per kg. Now, as the crop cultivation has improved, over 500 tonnes of vegetable arrived in the market and the price of tomato fell to Rs 10-12 per kg,” said Prabhakaran, member of Koyambedu Wholesale Tomato Traders’ Association.

“Almost after four months, the tomato price has come down to Rs 10-12 per kg at Koyambedu. However, we cannot sell it at the same price. We are charging Rs 5-10 more depending on the supply we have. Currently, regular and Bengaluru tomatoes sold are for Rs 15-20 per kg,” said Kalai M, a retail vendor at Kothavalchavadi market.