Indian government confident of keeping tomato prices in check: Report

Amid the ongoing price hike, the Indian government is expecting tomato harvest to increase from 223,000 metric tonnes (MT) in July to 544,000 MT in August, which is likely to bring down prices of the fruit and provide relief to consumers, The Economic Times reported on Tuesday.

The report quoted a senior official from India's Food Ministry as saying, “As the production in major growing areas, especially in Himachal Pradesh go up, we will see cooling down of prices.”

Himachal Pradesh’s tomato harvest is predicted to increase from 2,000 MT in July to 30,000 MT in August. The harvest is expected to see a uptick in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh too.

Total tomato harvest is predicted to reach 956,000 MT in September and 1,333,000 MT in October, The Economic Times mentioned in its report.

The report further stated that the hike in retail prices was brought about by supply shortages attributed to heavy rains and floods in the northern and northwestern states in July, which damaged standing crops. Due to this, tomato supply from Himachal Pradesh fell from 10,875 MT in July 2022 to 1,505 MT presently in 2023.

“There is an area damage of 7,800 hectare out of the total sown area of 14,500 hectare of Kharif tomatoes in Himachal Pradesh resulting in reduced production,” the publication quoted the Food Ministry official as saying.

To combat rising tomato prices, the central government had directed the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) to purchase tomatoes from mandis in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra and distribute them in major consumption centres where retail prices have increased the most.

Despite this measure, the prices of tomatoes went up after a temporary relief due to limited supply.

Tomatoes are grown in almost every state in India, though in varied quantities. The southern and western parts of India produce the most, accounting for 56 per cent to 58 per cent of total Indian output.

Surplus states in western and southern India provide tomatoes to markets based on production seasons.Production seasons fluctuate among regions as well while the harvesting season is at its best from December to February.

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