Rain-damaged crops, supply bottlenecks jack up tomato prices 9x in Delhi

Supplies dip more than 50% in National Capital's Azadpur Mandi; prices in Mumbai nearly double

The extensive crop damage caused by pre-monsoon showers, coupled with supply bottlenecks, has led to a surge in tomato prices in major wholesale markets.

Prices in Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi — labelled Asia’s biggest wholesale agri market — have jumped up to ten-fold over the past month, from Rs 3/kg to Rs 17.5, with higher quality tomato quoting at Rs 30-plus. In Mumbai’s Vashi, prices rose from Rs 13 to Rs 24.5/kg, in a month. Strict quarantine regulations and lockdown protocols had prevented traders and middlemen from visiting agricultural farms to contract for purchase of the crop. This disrupted the normal supply