Jun 27, 2023
The price of simple red vegetable 'tomato' has skyrocketed in Karnataka over the past few weeks.
Image Source: Agencies
The vegetable, quite a staple across households, has seen a 200% rise in its price in Karnataka.
Image Source: TNN
On Monday, a kilo of tomatoes was priced at Rs 125, up from Rs 40 in the third week of May.
Image Source: Agencies
The reason behind this significant price increase is the disruption in the supply of tomatoes from major districts including Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Ramanagara, Chitradurga, and Bengaluru Rural.
Image Source: Agencies
The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard in Kolar, one of the largest tomato trading hubs in the country, saw a tomato crate (15kg box) being sold for Rs 1,080-1,100 on Monday.
Image Source: Agencies
Kolar district, known for its large-scale tomato cultivation on 20,000 hectares, experienced production disruptions, resulting in a price surge, as per the horticulture department deputy director.
Image Source: Agencies
Short supply of tomatoes is owing to crop loss caused by the spread of ‘white fly’ disease, said CR Srinath, who runs a ‘mandi’ at the Kolar APMC yard.
Image Source: Agencies
Farmers, who had faced losses for the last two years, chose not to grow tomatoes and switched to other vegetables instead.
Image Source: Agencies
The high perishability of tomatoes has also contributed to their unavailability in the market.
Image Source: Agencies
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