Tomato prices soar, hitting already constrained family budgets

The price jump has been more in southern and eastern parts of the country than in northern and western areas

Tomato prices are shooting up, disturbing household budgets, which are already reeling from costlier edible oil and pulses for the past few months. According to the data from the Department of Consumer Affairs, the retail price of tomatoes in Delhi rose 79 per cent between October 1 and November 25 — from Rs 43 a kg to Rs 77 a kg.

In Mumbai, it became costlier by 63 per cent, going up from Rs 30 to Rs 49 during the same period. In Bengaluru, the price rose from Rs 18 to Rs 88, an increase of 389 per cent. In