After super surge, tomato prices will now tank. Know why

Tomatoes will soon be affordable after prices skyrocketed earlier this month as the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has ordered National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) to procure the staple vegetable from states, such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The procured tomatoes will then be distributed in areas that have witnessed the highest jumps in prices in the last month.

The tomatoes will be distributed via retail outlets at discounted prices in Delhi-NCR by Friday.

The centre has identified regions where the tomatoes will be distributed on the basis of an absolute hike in retail prices over the past month, the government said.

Although tomatoes are grown across India, the maximum production of the vegetable occurs in the southern and western parts. These regions contribute 60 per cent to the country's production.

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"The production seasons are also different across regions. The peak harvesting season occurs from December to February. The periods during July-August and October-November are generally the lean production months for tomato," a statement by the ministry noted.

It added, "July coinciding with monsoon season, adds to further challenges related to distribution and increased transit losses adding to price rise. The cycle of planting and harvesting seasons and variation across regions are primarily responsible for price seasonality in Tomato. Apart from the normal price seasonality, temporary supply chain disruptions and crop damage due to adverse weather conditions etc. often lead to sudden spikes in prices."

The government also informed that most of the supplies are currently coming from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The national capital is receiving stocks from Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.