Tomato price volatility exposes gaps in India's agriculture supply chain

Among the vegetables that constitute the trio of TOP (tomato, onion, and potato), tomato is believed to experience the most volatility in prices

Tomato prices have been on the boil for more than a month. Data from major cities show that the spike has been between 125 and 150 per cent at the wholesale level.

Soaring vegetable prices, including tomatoes, pushed the retail inflation rate to a nine-month high of 5.49 per cent in September, according to government data released on Monday. Though reports say prices are expected to come down in the next few weeks after supplies improve from Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, how long will the respite last is anybody’s guess.

The central government has been selling