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Indian tomatoes expensive and of poor quality
India
Monday 02 July 2007
Your tomatoes are coming from Bangalore and your capsicum from Gujarat, an indication of the growing prices of vegetables, both in the wholesale and retail market.
The prices are not expected to stabilise until mid-July, provided, of course, that the monsoon does not play spoilsport.
The prices of most edible commodities have shown a drastic rise this week. Even the prices of grains and pulses are stretching the average middle class family's budget. Market watchers at the Agriculture Produce Markets Committee (APMC) say the rise in prices is due to extra transportation costs being incurred.
Vegetables grown across the state's major farm belts will require between 60 to 90 days to be picked from the fields. Until then, stocks will have to be sourced from other states, where climatic conditions are currently more favourable.
Tomatoes, a staple in most dishes, are in short supply. The large, juicy, red tomatoes that one sees in the market on a normal day comes from Sangli, Satara and Pune.
But since the crop in the state will take another 90 days to reach the market, it is currently being imported from Bangalore, said an APMC official. "Tomatoes are selling for 0,18 and 0,22 EUR per quarter-kilo, but poor quality of the vegetable is discouraging buyers," said Shivaji Shende, a vegetable vendor at the Borivali market.
The prices are not expected to stabilise until mid-July, provided, of course, that the monsoon does not play spoilsport.
The prices of most edible commodities have shown a drastic rise this week. Even the prices of grains and pulses are stretching the average middle class family's budget. Market watchers at the Agriculture Produce Markets Committee (APMC) say the rise in prices is due to extra transportation costs being incurred.
Vegetables grown across the state's major farm belts will require between 60 to 90 days to be picked from the fields. Until then, stocks will have to be sourced from other states, where climatic conditions are currently more favourable.
Tomatoes, a staple in most dishes, are in short supply. The large, juicy, red tomatoes that one sees in the market on a normal day comes from Sangli, Satara and Pune.
But since the crop in the state will take another 90 days to reach the market, it is currently being imported from Bangalore, said an APMC official. "Tomatoes are selling for 0,18 and 0,22 EUR per quarter-kilo, but poor quality of the vegetable is discouraging buyers," said Shivaji Shende, a vegetable vendor at the Borivali market.
