Tomato prices make Puneites see red

Pune: There is no respite for residents of the city from the surging vegetable prices. The kitchen essentials have turned into budget-spoilers for families.
Insufficient rainfall and high temperatures have resulted in a severe shortage of tomatoes the dearest of them all as it is now retailing at Rs 80 a kg. Experts say no change is likely for at least a month.
The city's supply of tomatoes is down by almost half, largely because of limited cultivation this year in areas like Nashik and Narayangaon.Other vegetables particularly cauliflower, green leafy vegetables, capsicum, chillies and garlic also face a similar scenario. Their rates have also soared over the past few weeks.
According to those dealing with the commodities in the wholesale market, the situation is particularly worrisome this year with rainfall hardly picking up evenly across the state. Some express fear of a further upward spiral in prices, with supply coming from Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and even northern parts of the country selling at high rates. in the wholesale market.
So limited is the stock reaching the city that the wholesale market clears out in just a few hours, said Anna Gule, who is in-charge of the fruits and vegetable sub-section of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC). Describing the problems affecting the supply, Gule said, "The inflow of vegetables is down by more than 40%. Besides tomatoes, prices of coriander and other green leafy vegetables are sky-rocketing. The problem is the lack of water in all vegetable growing districts. Unless the monsoon compensates for the drought, the situation is unlikely to change.The only saving grace has been onion, which has been cultivated in abundance this year, so its prices are stable till now."
The situation this year is completely different from the summer of 2015, when tomato growers sold their produce at throwaway prices, said city-based retailer Amol Tambe. , a city-based retailer who buys directly from them. "Such was the glut of the tomato crop last year, that farmers actually got very poor market rate for their produce in the summer months. Prices, however, had surged around October and November 2015. This year water scarcity has meant dry fields for long stretches. As a result, the quality selling for Rs 45-55 a kilo hardly has any takers. Prices could stabilize by mid-July if it rains sufficiently in the next few weeks," he said.
The steadily rising prices have already impacted the Consumer Price Index for May. Data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Monday showed food inflation shot up to 7.55% in May, from 6.32% a month ago.
Consumers, though unhappy, have no option but to adjust. City resident Seema Mangaonkar said, "With the surge in prices, there are many things that are currently out of reach for me. We have no option but to adjust with the spiralling prices".
Another citizen Anshula Madan said, "Tomatoes are a must in our cooking, so we buy and use them in limited quantities. Some of the really expensive vegetables are not even in season, so I pick what is easily available and reasonably priced."