While the wholesale market was selling tomatoes at Rs 200 per kilogram in Tamil Nadu, tomatoes were sold at Rs 185 per kilogram in certain retail shops.
New Delhi: Tomato prices continue to skyrocket in Tamil Nadu as the wholesale price of the red fruit touched Rs 200 per kilogram in the state capital. While the wholesale market was selling tomatoes at Rs 200 per kilogram, in certain retail shops, tomatoes were sold at Rs 185 per kilogram. Traders also said that the price is likely to rise to Rs 250 per kg in a week’s time.
Read More : Staggering! Netflix is offering a whopping Rs 7.4 crore annual salary for AI product manager
Why Tomato Prices Saw Major Surge In Tamil Nadu
P Sukumaran, secretary of the Koyambedu Wholesale Merchants Association, while speaking to IANS said, “This is the first time since the opening of this market that the price of tomatoes has touched Rs 200 per kilogram. This is unprecedented.
“We were expecting the rates to get steady by July 20 but sudden rain has led to the loss of crops and more than 50 per cent of tomatoes cultivated in Andhra and Karnataka have been lost due to the rain,” Sukumaran said.
The official said that there is a shortage of arrival of tomatoes from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as there was crop loss due to heavy rainfall. “There is a shortage in the arrival of tomatoes from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh due to the heavy losses in crop due to intermittent rain in these states. Heavy rain has led to a total loss of crops and hence the shortage in the arrival of tomatoes. This has led to the hike in prices of tomatoes in the market,” Sukumaran said.
Other Cities See Tomato Price Hike
Delhi-NCR saw major hike in tomato prices, which used to cost Rs 20-30 per kg, shot up to Rs 110-160 per kg. In response to the skyrocketing price of tomato, fast-food restaurant franchise Subway has taken tomatoes off its menu. To address the challenges posed by the escalating prices and disruptions in the tomato supply chain due to quality concerns, Subway outlets have taken the decision to temporarily suspend the use of tomatoes in their sandwiches and salads.
Read More :Unlimited 5G data: A look at pocket-friendly Airtel and Jio prepaid plans
A notable example of this initiative was observed at a Subway store located in a Delhi airport terminal. The store prominently displayed a sign, politely informing the customers about the “Temporary Unavailability of TOMATOES”.
The sign further clarified that the current unavailability stems from the difficulty in sourcing sufficient tomatoes that adhere to their stringent quality control standards.
A Subway employee at its Sector 16 outlet in Noida told IANS that the vendor is supplying a limited quantity of tomatoes, which has led to this crisis. “The rates are high, and now the vendor, which supplies tomatoes and other veggies to the outlets in Delhi-NCR, is bringing tomatoes in limited quantity due to unavailability,” he said. “We were serving dishes with tomatoes till late afternoon, but now the tomato stock has ended,” he said.
The employee further claimed that all stores in Delhi and its peripherals are going through a similar situation. Earlier this month, McDonald’s in Delhi had released a notice citing the unavailability of tomatoes in their products due to quality concerns during the tomato procurement process.
“Dear Customers, we are ever committed to serving you the best food with the best ingredients. Despite our best efforts, we are not able to get adequate quantities of tomatoes that pass our world-class stringent quality checks. Hence for the time being, we are forced to serve you products without tomatoes,” read the notice outside one of the McDonald’s outlets in Delhi.
Read More : ITR Filing Deadline: Can’t Access Income Tax Portal Due To Last Hour Rush? Tax Dept Suggests Solutions To Complete The Process
“Rest assured; we are working to get the tomato supplies back. We value your patronage and regret the inconvenience caused,” it added.
