Tomatoes too dear for ordinary consumers

Kathmandu, Oct. 28: The price of tomatoes has skyrocketed in the Kathmandu Valley over the past few weeks. Local shopkeepers cite short supply for the high prices. 

According to the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Board (KFVMDB), the wholesale price of tomatoes, one of the most essential vegetables, jumped up to Rs. 150 per kilogram on Saturday while it was only Rs. 50 a month ago.  

It shows that the price of tomatoes increased by three folds within a month.

However, the price of a kilogram of tomatoes reached over Rs. 200 in retail vegetable shops in the valley at present.

Information officer of KFVMDB Binaya Shrestha said that price of tomatoes has been skyrocketing in the market due to short supply from farms.

Only around 20-25 tonnes of tomatoes are being supplied to Kalimati market daily basis over the last one month while around 70 tonnes of tomatoes used to enter in the market daily same period a year ago.

All vegetables products, including potatoes, beans, bitter gourd and okra have been dearer due to the heavy fall in supply with the low production, he said. 

“The short supply of tomatoes in the market is a major reason behind increased prices. The supply of vegetables, including tomatoes declined since continuous rains occurred in September last week. Many vegetables farms in more than two dozen districts were damaged by the floods that led to decline production and supply,” he said.

A kg of tomatoes was sold below Rs. 50 in Kalimati wholesale market of by September 26. After that the price of vegetables gone up suddenly after the rains.

“It is natural to increase vegetable price in the market because of imbalance of demand and supply situation. Price has gone up at the level of farmers at present,” he said.

He said that the farmers themselves went up to Rs. 120-135 per kg for tomatoes.

Tomato is being mainly supplied from Kathmandu, Kavrepalanchok at present.

Deepak Dhakal, a farmer from Sirutar of Bhaktapur, said that tomatoes was sold at Rs. 135 per kilogram from the firm on Saturday. 

This time, the farmer got a good price for the tomatoes, he said, however that production was about half that of last year.

“In my 11 years’ experience in agriculture, I did never sold tomatoes at this price. Two years ago, I sold a kg of tomatoes at Rs. 114,” he said.

According to him, in the past it was difficult to get money from traders by selling tomatoes. But now the businessmen give advance for the purchase of tomatoes,” he said.

Bhagawan Chandra Uprety, a wholesaler of Kalimati market, said that the market had been reeling under a short supply, leading to price rise. 

He said that price of tomatoes would further increase until and unless the new production of tomatoes arrived from the farms.

According to Shrestha, arrival of tomatoes from India is also contributing to check price hike of tomatoes from this scenario. 

The price of tomatoes has decreased to Rs. 130 per kg in wholesale market on Sunday.

Radha Shrestha, a consumer of Gtthaghar, Bhaktapur, said that soaring price of vegetables including tomatoes hard hit for consumers to manage kitchen expenses.

She said that she bought only half a kilogram of tomatoes at Rs. 105 in retail market due to its price hike.

Not only tomatoes, the price of all vegetables, including cauliflower, cabbage, beans, potatoes and others has increased, he said.

The price of cauliflower is Rs. 120 per kg, cabbage Rs. 50 per kg, beans Rs. 120 per kg and bitter gourd Rs. 70 per kg in the Kalimati wholesale market.