Rush to retail shops, tomato prices at 20 a kg

Rush to retail shops, tomato prices at 20 a kg

11.01.2025

Chennai: Get your cookbooks out and check for recipes with tomatoes apart from just adding them to your rasam or salad as the cost per kilogram of the staple has come down to 20 in most retail stores over the last few days. It is likely to remain the same for at least a week or two, vendors say. The cost of a kilogram of premium quality tomato is available anywhere between 10 a kg and 12 a kg in the wholesale market, he said.

The number of trucks entering the Koyambedu vegetable market has increased to nearly 50 a day. Most trucks come from Andhra Pradesh, where the cost of a 25kg box of tomatoes is between 200 and 300, said Jaffer Ali Sait, who has a tomato shop in Koyambedu market. “These are mostly premium quality tomatoes. The harvest has been bountiful this time. Farmers sell it at a lower price because their shelf life is short,” he said.

Tomatoes are transported while they are semi-ripe to prevent damage and provide more time for vendors, said R Ravichandran from MS Tomatoes in Koyambedu market. “Most retailers also pick up vegetables that are semi-ripe. By the time they are on display, it is ready for consumption,” he said.

Retailers say they are seeing high sales of tomatoes this week. “I picked up 5kg of tomatoes. I will use half of them to make pickles and the other half for ketchup,” said Shankari R, who works for a bank. “This week I added tomatoes to most dishes and my family isn’t complaining,” she said.