Tomatoes near Rs 100: It’s going to get worse before it gets better

The price of tomatoes have shot through the roof in cities like Mumbai due to rapid decline in arrivals because of dire water scarcity. While prices in certain places have shot up to as much as Rs 80 a kilo at the retail level, there’s a risk of their hitting the three digit mark in the next month before cooling off, provided the monsoon covers Maharashtra, the main producer, said Subhash Gupta,a wholesaler at the APMC vegetable market. His claim is borne by the sharp decline in arrivals of the APMC in Navi Mumbai. The rise is also partially on account to higher transport charges as Mumbai is being serviced from Punjab, UP and Bengaluru.