CHANDIGARH – Tomato prices have witnessed a sharp rise as its supply was hit due to early rains in Punjab and prolonged dry spell in Himachal Pradesh, one of the major suppliers of the vegetable in eastern districts of Punjab and Chandigarh.
Traders said whereas rainfall in various pockets of Punjab in the past 10 days had hit the quality of the produce, its cultivation was delayed in Himachal Pradesh due to prolonged dry spell.
Hence, a break in the supply has led to the sudden rise of prices in regional markets, claimed traders.
The vegetable, which was available at around Rs25-Rs35 per kg in retail early this week, was now being sold at Rs45-Rs60 per kg.
Rajinder Kumar, secretary, market committee, Chandigarh, said tomato was sold at Rs4,500 per quintal in Chandigarh’s wholesale vegetable market, which, besides catering to the city, also supplied vegetables to Punjab.
“The major reason behind the sudden hike in prices is short supply. In Punjab, tomato crop season ends by the third week of June. However, there were rains in first week, which deteriorated its quality. In normal circumstances, the vegetable starts arriving from Himachal, but the crop was delayed there. Moreover, supply from other states is also limited,” he added.
Dr Vijay Thakur, Vice-Chancellor of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, said prolonged dry spell had delayed the sowing of tomato crop in the state and subsequent crop development now was of much smaller in size compared to the normal produce.
In Punjab, tomato cultivation begins in April. This year, the crop was grown over 7,500 hectares. The Horticulture Department estimated an output of more than 1.85 lakh tonnes. Besides around 12,000 tonnes, which is processed for tomato-based products, the remaining is supplied to the state’s vegetable markets.
“Punjab had witnessed a good tomato output this year. But rain in the fag end of the crop season compromised its quality,” said Director Horticulture Dr Gurkanwal Singh.
