Tomato prices shoot up to Rs 160 per kg in MP’s Raisen

Raisen, July 2

The prices of tomatoes have soared to Rs 160 per kg in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district, which is the biggest producer of the kitchen staple in the state, an official said on Sunday.

The prices of the kitchen staple have been hovering between Rs 120 and 150 per kg in the rest of the state.

When asked about the tomato prices reaching Rs 160, district collector Arvind Dubey attributed the rise to high demand and short supply of tomatoes.

“If the demand for a product is less and the production is high, the price drops,” Dubey said, adding that the tomato prices are high across the country and Raisen is no exception.

Bari area is the highest producer of tomatoes in the district, he said, adding that the produce from the district is supplied to southern India and Nepal.

Meanwhile, tomato farmers have blamed the middlemen for the rise in prices.

Cultivators Ganpath Singh Kushwaha, Sitaram Kurmi and Manoj Patel claimed that middlemen purchase their produce at Rs 20 per kg and sell it to wholesalers at a high price.