Tomato in Bengaluru may cost ₹100 per kg soon
The prices of vegetables including tomatoes have skyrocketed due to monsoon deficit this year. Due to short supply, the prices have reportedly shot up to ₹80 per kg over the last week, The Hindu reported.
According to report, a 15 kg crate of tomatoes was sold for ₹1,100 at Kolar wholesale APMC market in Karnataka this weekend. It is expected that the price could rise further in Bengaluru soon. A senior official at a grocery chain claimed that the price of tomato is expected to breach the ₹100 mark soon.
Anji Reddy, a tomato farmer from Kolar, told the website that the sowing of the vegetable is lesser than the previous year. He added that several tomato farmers shifted to beans after its price reached sky high last year.
The farmer said that the crops have dried up due to monsoon deficit, and the tomato crop here may be only 30 per cent of the usual. Due to the crop loss in Maharashtra, the buyers from states like West Bengal, Odisha and even for exporting to countries like Bangladesh are queueing up in Karnataka markets.
It is the month of Ashadha when no auspicious events are held and rains are expected to hit Karnataka. Usually, the vegetable prices decrease at this point of time. But the deficient monsoon has led to crop loss, ultimately resulting in shortage of supply and high prices.
Most of the vegetables except onions and potatoes are being sold at higher prices. For example, the price of a kilogramme of beans is between ₹120 and ₹140, The Hindu report added. On the other hand, the cost of some varieties of carrots is about to reach the ₹100 mark. A kilogramme of capsicum and knol khol cost more than ₹80. An egg is now being sold in the range of ₹7-8.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels’ Association told the website it is adopting a wait-and-watch approach. However, the hotel owners body did not rule out a price hike on the food menu.
PC Rao, the organisation’s president said power tariff hike has resulted in the rise in prices of mill products including rice. The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) has reportedly sought a hike of ₹5/litre of milk and the decision is awaited, Rao added.
