4 months ago
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Tomato prices astatine the Madanapalle Agricultural Market Yard, considered Asia’s largest, person risen sharply, with Grade-I tomatoes touching ₹42 a kg and Grade-II astatine ₹32 a kg connected Sunday. This follows a steep autumn successful arrivals to conscionable 70 tonnes, compared with the season’s regular mean of astir 800 tonnes — the lowest successful caller months.
In unfastened markets crossed the Rayalaseema region, average-quality tomatoes are selling astatine astir ₹60 a kg, portion apical varieties person crossed ₹80 a kg successful fashionable retail outlets.
With Sankranti festivities approaching, on with ongoing Dhanurmasam rituals and the Ayyappa Deeksha season, marketplace officials and traders property the crisp diminution chiefly to weather-related harvest accent and delayed harvests successful cardinal tomato-growing areas specified arsenic Valmikipuram, Nimmanapalle, Tamballapalle, Punganur, and surrounding mandals. Heavy rains successful November and fluctuating temperatures person deed yields hard, resulting successful less consignments reaching the marketplace yard.
The proviso shortage has coincided with a seasonal emergence successful request from households, hotels, and catering units. Bulk buyers from neighbouring states, including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, person besides stepped up purchases from Madanapalle, further tightening supplies.
“Such debased arrivals are uncommon for Madanapalle, which usually handles respective 100 tonnes a time during mean seasons,” said Basha, a seasoned trader.
Farmers are hopeful of amended terms realisation but stay cautious astir imaginable harvest losses if adverse upwind persists, specified arsenic a prolonged wintertime oregon aboriginal summer. Market observers expect prices to stay steadfast successful the abbreviated term, with alleviation babelike connected improved arrivals from caller harvests successful the coming weeks.
