Barring Delhi, retail tomato prices in other metro cities skyrocketed to Rs 77 per kg on Wednesday as compared to a month ago, according to government data.
According to data maintained by the consumer affairs ministry, the retail price of tomatoes in Kolkata increased to Rs 77 per kg on June 1 from Rs 25 per kg on April 30.
In Mumbai too, the retail tomato price rose to ₹ 74 per kg on June 1 from ₹ 36 per kg on May 1, while in Chennai it increased from ₹ 47 per kg to ₹ 62 per kg in the said period, as per The figures show.
However in Delhi, the retail tomato price was ruling ₹39 per kg as against ₹30 per kg in the said period.
On Wednesday, retail prices of tomatoes in four cities – Port Blair, Shillong, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta – were trading above Rs 100 per kg.
The major producing states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra have seen a significant increase in retail prices and are ruling between ₹50 and ₹100 per kg in various cities, as per the data.
Traders and experts attributed the rise in retail prices to possible shortfall in supplies from major producing states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
The average all-India retail price of tomatoes rose over 77% to ₹52.30 per kg on Wednesday from ₹29.5 per kg in the month-ago period.