Bhubaneswar: At 80 per kg, tomato price at all-time high

BHUBANESWAR: Tomato prices in retail markets of the capital city have shot up to an all-time high of Rs 80 per kg. Massive crop loss due to unseasonal rain, restricted supply from key tomato-producing states and high diesel prices led to surging prices of the kitchen essentials.
Tomato was selling at Rs 30 a kg about a fortnight ago, but huge crop loss due to prolonged monsoon affected the usual supply of the essential crop to the market. "Bhubaneswar gets tomatoes mainly from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. At present, around five trucks of tomatoes are coming to the city every day. Earlier it used to be 10 to 15 trucks. High demand coupled with short supply has led to the price rise," said Santosh Sahu, a vegetable wholesaler.
"Crops from different districts of the state are yet to be harvested. This is another reason of the supply shortage. It will take couple of months more for local crops to be ready. But the quality of local tomatoes is not as good as that of the varieties that come from other states," said Prakash Rout, a vendor. The increased prices of all essential vegetables have disturbed the family budget, besides spoiling the celebrations in the festive season. TNN