A 700% jump in tomato prices gives windfall to farmers in India - Times of India
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NEW DELHI: An eight-fold surge in tomato prices is making some Indian farmers rich, although their windfall gains may be short-lived due to a likely rise in supplies in the coming weeks. Retail prices of tomatoes were at 178 rupees ($2.20) a kilogram in Delhi on Sunday, a jump of more than 700% from January 1, according to data compiled by the food ministry. The national average was almost 120 rupees that day. The hike, caused by heavy rains disrupting supplies, has hit consumer nerves, with many households temporarily forgoing tomatoes — an essential element of mainstay Indian dishes. But growers are elated. Ishwar Gaykar said he and his wife Sonali, who grow tomatoes on 12 acres (4.9 hectares) of land near Junnar in the western state of Maharashtra, have made a profit of about 24 million rupees so far in the current season, compared with 1.5 million a year earlier. The couple, who employ 60 to 70 daily workers to manage the fields, have emerged as one of the biggest su