Tomato, beans prices increase by over 100%, onion prices increase by 50%

Vendors selling vegetables at Monda Market in Secunderabad on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G

The prices of some vegetables sold in Hyderabad have increased by 100% and some more by over 50%. Citizens said that they bought tomatoes for ₹100 to ₹120 a kg this week. Market yard officials in the city said that the wholesale rate of tomato is ₹60 to ₹80. The wholesale price was around ₹30 a month ago. Retail price of onion has increased from ₹40 to around ₹60 per kg. 

Retail price of cluster beans increased from ₹40 a month ago to ₹100. Farmers and officials said that devastating rains in various States at the beginning of September is the reason for the hike in prices. They said that prices of onions will come down in a few weeks, tomatoes prices will fall at the end of the month when the markets receive produce from farmers in the State.  Due to the situation, several food outlets have either cut down or stopped selling tomato curries. 

Selection grade secretary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Vegetable Market Yard in Bowenpally, M. Venkanna said that the market yard receives 96% of the tomatoes from other States including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The rest of 4% is from Telangana. Whenever the produce from other States comes down, the prices increase. In this season, rains damaged crops in some parts of all States. He said that when the produce is brought from other States rather than locally, transportation cost increases which leads to rise in prices. “The prices of tomatoes will partly come down after Dasara. It will decrease further at the end of the month,” said Mr. Venkanna. 

Narasimha Reddy, a farmer from Vikarabad, said that prices of onions will come down after a month.  Some farmers from the outskirts of Hyderabad, such as Vikarabad, Shankarpally, sell their agricultural produce in the city. Aishwarya Lakshmi, secretary, Agriculture Market Committee, Shankarpally said that only around 20% of tomatoes and onions cultivated there are sold in the market yard. Currently, weekly market is held three days a week. “We plan to hold the market everyday. Farmers can sell the agricultural produce here too,” said Ms. Lakshmi.