Bhubaneswar: Tomato prices continue to haunt consumers as the price of one kg of tomatoes touched Rs 80 in several retail markets of Odisha here on Thursday.
Low supply and crop loss following heavy rains in major tomato-producing states is to be blamed for the price rise in several parts of the country including Odisha.
The price of tomatoes from Rs 8 per kg last month to Rs 40 last week has now skyrocketed to Rs 80 leading to severe resentment among consumers.
Heavy rains have damaged the crops in major tomato-producing states such as Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and Bangalore.
The prices of tomato, a key kitchen staple, have been rising for the last two weeks
Jayanti Pati, a homemaker from Bhubaneswar said that it is now getting tough for her to cook meals for family as tomato being an essential commodity is now out from menu.
Gitanjali Behera another homemaker expressed her resentment over exorbitant price rise of tomatoes which was available at Rs 40 per kg last week.
“We are now forced to cut down consumption and are now purchasing 250 grams instead of one kg for the family,” said Gitanjali.
According to wholesalers of Chhatrabazar, the largest wholesale market of Odisha in Cuttack, the prices have increased due to a major reduction in supply from other parts of the country especially from Bengaluru.
“Earlier, four to five truck loads of tomatoes were arriving to Cuttack per day while the supply has now dropped to two trucks. As per the market trend, the prices might touch Rs 100 per kg also,” said Chhatrabazar traders association secretary Devendra Sahoo.
People on other have also blamed lack of adequate cold storage and coordination between agriculture and civil supplies department for price rise of tomatoes in Odisha.
Earlier, farmers of special parts of state including Keonjhar had dumped sacks of tomatoes over distress sale in February despite a bumper crop this year.
Also Read:Distress sale forces Keonjhar farmers to dump sacks of tomatoes near Collectorate
“Initially there was good harvest while due to lack of marketing facilities such situation has cropped up which is not under the purview of the agriculture department,” said agriculture minister Damodar Rout.
Supplies Minsiter Surya Narayan Patro said that tomato is not an ‘essential commodity’ and price rise is now a nationwide phenomenon as the demand is high while supply is low.