Tomato prices skyrocket amid supply crunch

Bengaluru: Tomato prices have shot up dramatically in Karnataka in just a month, rising from Rs 40-42 a kg in early May to Rs 80 now. 

The steep price rise in such a short span is attributed to the supply crunch of tomatoes to Kolar Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Asia’s second-largest tomato market. 

While the seasonal price variation is no surprise, a gradual decrease in tomato cultivation after last year’s white fly outbreak is a concern, Vijayalakshmi, secretary of Kolar APMC said. 

On Thursday, the Kolar APMC received 56,600 boxes of 15 kg each, making up only 8,500 quintals, despite being the peak season for tomato yields. 

In 2022, the APMC received nearly 40,000 quintals of tomatoes on a single June day. 

However, in 2023, the supply plummeted drastically due to excessive crop loss in Karnataka’s tomato-growing districts of Mandya, Mysuru, Chikkaballapur, Kolar and Bengaluru Rural (parts of Nelamangala) as a result of the white fly outbreak. 

Currently, the price of a 15-kg box of “top-quality” tomatoes is between Rs 650 and Rs 700 at the Kolar APMC. Though the price has not broken last year’s record of Rs 1,800 a box, the price surge is not just seasonal but also due to reduction in supply, according to Vijayalakshmi. 

Another official from Kolar APMC said that in 2022, the supply of tomatoes to Kolar APMC in May, June and July was 1.64 lakh quintals, 5.45 quintals and 10.59 lakh quintals, respectively. 

In 2023, due to the virus and white fly outbreak, the yield in the above-mentioned months was 2.24 lakh quintals, 3.30 quintals and 3.21 lakh quintals, respectively. 

Due to impressive yields in 2022, farmers expanded their tomato cultivation area, said S R Kumara Swamy, Deputy Director of the Department of Horticulture in Kolar. 

According to official data, the total cultivated area of tomato in 2022 between February and May was 3,740 hectares, which rose to 4,938 hectares in 2023. 

He estimates that tomato cultivation area this year has shrunk due to “severe temperatures in April and May”. The crop survey data for the summer is still underway, he added. 

“Tomato is a purely irrigation-dependent crop,” he said, adding many farmers anticipated the white fly outbreak yet again and avoided cultivating tomatoes fearing losses. 

A well-placed source in the Department of Horticulture attributed the wilting of flowers as a result of severe heat to decreased supply, alongside shrinking of cultivated area, driving a surge in prices. 

A farmer from Kolar said that last year, the prices shot up after mid-June. Whoever cultivated tomatoes this year did so hoping that the prices may increase. However, this year too, the yields are not as expected, he added.

A tomato crop usually yields 40-45 tonnes per acre in eight to 10 harvests. Each plant is capable of providing a yield of 6-10 kg per season. However, the yield has reduced to 2 kg this season, the famer added.

The horticulture department source said the prices may come down once the kharif yields reach the market in the next 15-20 days.