Tomato prices skyrocket in India after crops damaged by heatwave and rains

Cost of the staple has increased up to sixfold over past two weeks

A wholesale vegetable market in Hyderabad, India. Tomatoes were being sold for up to $1.50 per kilogramme in parts of the country on Wednesday. AP

An extreme heatwave and heavy rains have caused the cost of tomatoes across India to skyrocket.

Tomatoes, a staple in Indian kitchens, were being sold for up to 120 rupees ($1.50) per kilogramme on Wednesday — six times more than two weeks previously.

In Delhi, tomatoes were being sold for 90 to 100 rupees per kilogramme ($1.10 to $1.20) on Wednesday.

Experts say the reason for the sudden price rise is a disruption in supply as harvests were damaged by heatwaves and pest attacks in May.

The crop was also affected by heavy rains caused by Cyclone Biparjoy in June.

Tomatoes are grown in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

“A lack of monsoon rains has caused the crops to dry out and wilt,” said Ajay Kedia, a Mumbai commodity market expert and head of research firm Kedia Advisory.

"The limited supply of produce, particularly tomatoes are due to crop damage caused by heavy rainfall and extreme heat."

In Lucknow in northern Uttar Pradesh state, produce vendor Ram Khilawan, said he was suffering losses because of thin sales.

“The tomato harvest was damaged because of heat and then rain," he said. "We are getting it transported from other parts of the country. This has increased the price. People ask more about the prices than buying.”

The skyrocketing prices of fruit and vegetables are forcing people to cut down on their daily intake of tomatoes.

“The prices have suddenly shot up [by] nearly four times," Teesha Goyal, a resident of Greater Noida, a satellite city outside Delhi, told The National.

"I bought them for 25 rupees (30 cents) a kilogramme a week or so ago. If we buy tomatoes, we cannot afford other vegetables. And meals without tomatoes are tasteless.”