Tomato at Rs 100/kg: Customers feel the heat as price skyrockets in Odisha

Not just onions, but tomatoes too are bringing tears to the eyes of consumers. The price of this staple vegetable has skyrocketed with it being sold at over Rs 100 a kilogram at retail markets in several places in Odisha and outside the state. 

This juicy red vegetable is being sold at Rs 100 to 120 a kilogram in Cuttack. In Balasore, a kilogram of tomato costs Rs 100. In Berhampur markets, the price of tomatoes has also touched Rs 100 a kilogram. 

In Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, the price of tomatoes is comparatively less. While it is selling at Rs 80 in the Unit-I market in Bhubaneswar, in Rourkela, customers are paying Rs 90 per kilogram. The price of tomatoes is more or less the same in Sambalpur. In Koraput, the price of tomatoes is the lowest with it selling at Rs 50. 

“Tomato is a staple vegetable in most kitchens. A week ago, its maximum price was Rs 50. Now, it has gone up to Rs 100. We are feeling the pinch,” said a customer in Balasore. 

Echoing the same, another Balasore customer said he is buying less quantity of tomatoes than he used to buy a few days ago. “We have to adjust the budget. So we are forced to buy fewer tomatoes,” he added. 

When asked about the reason for the price hike, a trader at Nuabazar in Balasore said, “Earlier we were receiving five to six trucks of tomatoes. Now it has reduced considerably. Only two trucks are coming now. The procurement point is Bangalore where tomato crops are damaged due to heavy rainfall. This is why the price of tomato is witnessing a sudden increase.”

Speaking about the reason for the price hike, secretary of Chhatrabazar Businessmen’s Association, Debendra Sahu said, “We are receiving tomatoes only from Bangalore. In Bangalore, the production of tomatoes has drastically been affected due to several reasons including rains. Since all the states are currently depending on Bangalore, the demand has surpassed the supply. It will continue like this for more 15 days till the arrival of the second harvest.”

The increase in the price of tomatoes has also been witnessed in other cities of the nation, pinching the pockets of the consumers.