A spurt in exports of tomatoes to Pakistan and hardening of winter conditions have triggered a shortage of the staple crop in the national capital, as a result of which prices of the vegetable have gone up to the level of Rs 20 a kg in retail markets here.
Nearly 80 trucks each carrying about 10 tonnes of tomatoes are going to Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border everyday, Amritsar Export Association Vice-President, Mr Rajdeep Singh Uppal told PTI from Amritsar.
The trend has been continuing for nearly one month now and is expected to last till January-end, Mr Uppal said.
He attributed the spurt in exports of the vegetable across the border to the higher price it fetches in Pakistan.
“A kg of tomato is selling in between Rs 14-18 (in Indian currency) in Pakistan's wholesale market,” Mr Uppal said.
The vegetable is available at Rs 8-12 a kg in Delhi's Azadpur wholesale market, Asia's biggest fruits and vegetables market, said Tomato Merchants Association General Secretary, Mr Subhash Chuk.
Mr Chuk said around 15-20 trucks, each carrying around 10 tonnes of tomatoes, are being sent to Pakistan daily from Delhi.
Nashik, Ahmednagar, Pune, Nagpur and Gujarat are the major tomato-growing areas in the country.
Nashik-based National Horticulture Research Development Foundation (NHRDF) Directo, Mr R P Gupta said tomatoes from Nashik are being sent to Pakistan to reap handsome returns.
Mr Dilip Rao Bankar, the Chairman of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), Pimpalgaon, in Nashik, echoed similar views.
Azadpur market Tomato Merchants Association President, Mr Darshan Lal Arora said besides the spurt in exports of tomatoes to Pakistan, hardening of the winter is another reason behind the fall in supply by approximately 25 per cent in Delhi, which has pushed prices upward.
Tomatoes are coming to Delhi nowadays from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, and Haldwani in Uttarakhand.
Chuk and Arora exuded confidence that prices of tomatoes will dip in 2-3 days in the national capital following an increase in supply.