Mumbai, September 1: Tomato prices slipped from Rs 100 per Kg to Rs 2 per kg. The price has dropped below the transportation cost from farm to mandis as a result of a sharp increase in arrivals. In Pimpalgaon mandi in Nashik district, a good quality tomato was selling at Rs 1.50-2 a kg, reported Business Standard, citing provided by the National Horticulture Research Development Foundation (NHRDF). However, export quality tomato continues to fetch profits over the average variety. This variety of tomato was sold at Rs 7.55 a kg in Lasalgaon mandi.

Adopting the model price of tomato, the cost worked out to Rs 5.75 a kg in the same mandi. According to the report, the model price of tomato in Delhi reported a decline of just 30 percent. On Friday, tomatoes are traded at Rs 10.56 a kg, from Rs 15.89 a kg in August.

“Tomato has lost two-third of its value so far this month, and over half in the last one week, due to a sharp increase in arrivals. Farmers are crumbling over its cultivation that does not yield even its transport cost from farm to mandis,” reported Business Standard quoting Atul Shah, director of Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), Pimpalgaon as saying. Pimpalgaon witnessed a sudden rise in the arrival of tomatoes at 3,021 tonnes on Thursday, from a mere 5.9 tonnes in August.

Similarly in Vashi APMC Average tomatoes are sold at Rs 4 kg from Rs 12 per Kg, whereas, model prices also dropped to Rs 5 a kg on Friday from Rs 13 a kg on August 1. However, consumers are still paying Rs 16-20 a kg for tomato.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 01, 2018 02:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).