Seven percent Indians stop buying tomatoes due to skyrocketing prices: Report

67 percent Indian households paid over Rs80 kg for tomatoes in recent times. Image: Getty Images

About seven percent Indians have temporarily stopped the purchase of tomatoes due to the sudden price rise, according to a survey by LocalCircles. It analysed responses from over 21,000 household consumers from 311 districts. Seventy-five percent of the respondents said they have significantly reduced tomato consumption; 67 percent Indian households paid over Rs80 kg for tomatoes in recent times—this amount went up by almost 100 percent over the last fortnight. The data revealed that 32 percent consumers are paying Rs100-150 per kg, while 6 percent are paying beyond Rs150 a kilo for tomatoes.

LocalCircles is a social media platform and a pollster on issues of governance, public and consumer interest.

McDonald’s too reacted to the skyrocketing prices by eliminating tomatoes from its menu in some of its branches in the North and East.

According to data from the Department of Consumer Affairs, tomato prices have seen a 341 percent increase year-to-date—from Rs24.68 per kg to Rs108.92 per kg as of July 11. The increase is a 168 percent rise compared to July last year. Flooding in major tomato-producing states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka is cited as the key reason for the rise in prices.

Less than a week ago, in Uttarakhand, tomato prices touched Rs250 a kilo. The Times of India reported that Indians living in Dharchula and Banbasa, near the India-Nepal border, are going to Nepal to buy tomatoes as they are available at half the price there (approximately Rs70-75 per kilogram).

The LocalCircles report mentions that in Delhi’s Azadpur mandi, which is Asia's largest wholesale market for vegetables and fruits, tomato arrivals have dropped to less than 25 percent compared to normal arrivals. Towards the end, the survey highlights that the consequences of heavy rainfall in North India on crop production and transportation remain uncertain, which may lead to the possibility of tomato prices exceeding Rs200 a kg, and that it may take several months for the prices to readjust.