Vijayapura: Along with soaring mercury levels the price of tomatoes has also skyrocketed in both the districts forcing people to look for alternative options.
Parvathi Kankanawadi, a resident of Ramanagara in the District said that, “I was shocked to learn that the price of tomato has crossed Rs. 100 per kg in the weekly market. In the previous week, one kilo of tomato was priced at Rs. 70 to Rs. 80. In the span of one week, the tomato price has increased by over Rs. 20 per kilo. The high price has left me with no option than dropping this from the veggie’s list this week.”
It is not just Parvati but also most of the people that had come to the weekly vegetable market were left stunned after reading the prices of tomatoes. One kilo of tomato was priced anywhere between Rs. 100 to Rs. 120 kgs here on Tuesday May 24.
The traders blame rain and poor supply for the sudden surge in tomato prices in the market. “The heavy downpour across the State is one of main reasons for the surge in tomato prices. It is because of continuous showers the vegetable has not only been damaged but also turned difficult to harvest for farmers. This has affected the supply chain and thus the spike in tomato prices,” elaborated Salauddin Bagwan, a vegetable trader from Vijayapura.
Meanwhile, the traders claim that the price is expected to remain stagnant for the next two weeks or will decrease if and only if the supply chain improves.
Tomatoes to Vijayapura is supplied partially from the local farmers and majority from Belagavi and surrounding districts.
Bhemappa Savalagi, vegetable vendor, said that, “A few weeks ago the people used to buy at least one kilo of tomato, where the price was less than Rs. 50 per kg. Now, the people are just asking the price and moving on. With people hardly buying tomatoes the stock has remained unsold for almost the whole day. The high price of tomatoes has also affected the daily business of vegetable vendors.”
With the price of tomatoes skyrocketing the people are forced to buy tamarind and lemon, which are largely used as an alternative for tomatoes while cooking.
Shradha Biradar, a housewife and resident of Pulakeshi Nagara, said that, “It is for the first-time that tomatoes are priced above Rs. 100 per kg when compared to the price of the last few years. It has hardly affected because in most of the dishes tamarind and lemons can be used instead of tomatoes. However, the price of the remaining vegetables were normal.”
