Tomato, garlic prices continue to soar in major cities

Though onion prices have begun downhill journey in major cities, citizens across the country continued to be battered by high rates of other important vegetables--tomato and garlic-- whose rates have soared astronomically across the country.

Tomato is selling at Rs 40-50 a kg in retail in the national capital since early this week, traders said.

The rise is huge as tomato was selling at Rs 15-20 a kg in retail in Delhi a fortnight back, they added.

The wholesale prices of the tomato in Azadpur market (Asia's biggest fruit & vegetable market) has moved upward from Rs 10-15 a kg ten days ago to Rs 25-30 a kg, President of Tomato Traders Association Darshan Lal Arora told PTI.

The scenario is no better in other cities.

Tomato was sold at Rs 60 a kg in retail in Mumbai today while it is ruling at Rs 35 a kg in Chennai and Rs 40 a kg in the Eastern metropolis of Kolkata.

Binod Chauhan, a big trader of Tomato at Azadpur, blamed the soaring prices to supply crunch.

Arora said the arrival of tomato perked up today with arrival of an additional 100 tonnes in the Azadpur mandi.

The increase in arrival is due to the fact that the tomato laden lorries which were earler heading for Pakistan through Attari-Wagah border have stopped now.

Along with tomato, citizens are feeling pinch due to enhanced cost of garlic, which has creeped up to Rs 300 a kg in the national capital today.

Prices of garlic, used for flavouring various dishes and used as an important ingredient in Ayurvedic medicines, have risen sharply from at Rs 300 a kg now in the national capital compared to Rs 160-180 a kg a month back, trade sources said.

It was in the range of Rs 250-280 a kg since early this week before further rising to Rs 300 a kg today.

An important bulb crop, Garlic is now selling at Rs 120-180 a kg in the wholesale market depending on the quality against Rs 80-120 a month ago, Vice-President, Garlic Merchants Association, Azadpur market, Jitendra Khurana  said.

Bulb crops are a crop grouping that include all of the Allium species except chives.

Cost of garlic was astronomical in other metros too.

While it is selling at Rs 260 a kg in Kolkata, it is available at Rs 320 a kg in Mumbai and Rs 250-300 a kg in the Southern metropolitan town of Chennai, traders in the metros said.

Khurana attributed rise in prices of garlic to drop in production to the tune of 30 per cent in 2010 in the bulk producing states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh mainly due to unseasonal rains.

He hoped the supply of garlic would boost after January 15 when fresh crops arrive in Delhi markets from Ratlam, Mandsor and Mimach in Madhya Pradesh.