From ₹20/kilo in June, prices are now over ₹200/kilo, a jump of 10X and this has burnt a hole in the middle class Indian’s pocket.
Surging
A survey by the community social media platform Local Circles, sought to understand from household
The query received 11,565 responses, with one in three
However, 4% of households surveyed indicated that they paid ₹70-100 per kg, and another 4% were fortunate to be able to buy tomatoes for less than ₹70/kg.
The remaining 3% of households surveyed opted to indicate "can't say." In sum, 89% of households surveyed bought tomatoes for over ₹100/kg. The data also suggested that 17% of households who were earlier buying tomatoes have stopped consuming them post the surge in prices.
In community discussions, feedback highlighted customer frustration with the Government-supplied tomatoes. Consumers expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that the logistics of distribution were poorly managed. They complained about the lack of specific time details, resulting in people having to wait in line for hours just to buy tomatoes with only location information available.
Many individuals reported standing in queues for a couple of hours to purchase tomatoes, leading to a loss of working hours and productivity. Consequently, some community members decided to give up on buying tomatoes through the Government channel altogether due to the inconvenience and time wasted.
A comparative study of various surveys conducted between June 27 and August 6 reveals interesting trends in tomato purchasing patterns. On June 27, 18% of households reported buying tomatoes for more than INR 100/kg. However, this percentage dramatically increased to 87% by July 14, indicating a significant surge in tomato prices during that period.
After the government agencies began selling
However, the latest survey on August 6 revealed a sharp rise in tomato prices once again. Now, a staggering 89% of households surveyed are paying over ₹100/kg for tomatoes, indicating an escalation in prices compared to the earlier period.