Rs 95/kg, tomato growers get a high

Ambika Sharma

Solan, July 1

The price of tomatoes continued to soar today with a kilogram of tomatoes being sold at Rs 95 at the Solan-based Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC). The district fulfils around 60 per cent of the state’s tomato demand.

The average rate of a 24-kg crate of premier hybrid quality, Heem Sohna, was today as high as Rs 1,700, while a few crates were sold at Rs 2,300 as well. While the average price of tomatoes was Rs 83 per kg, a few growers managed to sell it at Rs 95 per kg.

“A kilogram of tomatoes was sold at Rs 200 to Rs 250 per crate last year, but this year price ranged from Rs 1,200-1,600 for a crate of 24-kg and it was picking up on a daily basis by Rs 100 to Rs 200,” said Rajiv Kohli, a wholesale tomato trader who has been in business since 1970.

Traders are expecting the rates to soar further since tomatoes are not available in other states.It is for the first time that traders from as far as Uttar Pradesh are arriving at Solan to buy tomatoes. Despite being locally available, tomatoes are being sold at Rs 100 per kg in the market.

“We usually cater to the northern states, besides states like Rajasthan. However, since the tomato crop has suffered losses in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, buyers from all over the country are arriving in Solan,” Kohli said. He added that the quantum of damage was higher than the previous years.

Suresh Thakur, who has been in the trade since the last 20 years, said, “Such exponential rise in the price of tomatoes was unprecedented and it is likely to rise further in the coming days.”

Solan will not be able to cater to the growing demand as a significant chunk of the crop was lost due to waterlogging in the fields. But, the growers are hoping to offset the losses with high prices. “The arrival of produce is at least 50 per cent less this year,” Thakur said.

Solan APMC Secretary Dr Ravinder Sharma said, “The tomato arrivals began from June 15 in the market and as many as 22,469 crates worth Rs 2 crore have been sold till June 29. The season lasts till mid-September.”