Not just tomato, kitchen staples singeing pockets | India News

NEW DELHI: While the spike in tomato prices due to short supply because of rains might be catching the attention of all, government data shows that the prices of other major food items, barring potato, have also increased significantly.

The food and consumer affairs ministry told the Parliament this week that prices of tur dal registered a maximum of 28% rise, followed by rice (10.5%), urad dal and atta (8% in each case) in the past one year. The average retail price of rice on Thursday was Rs 41 a kg compared to Rs 37 a year ago.
The ministry has attributed the price rise in tur dal to the reduction in domestic production. It said that the third advance estimate of agriculture ministry for 2022-23 crop year has estimated the tur dal production at 34.3 lakh tonnes compared to 42.2 lakh tonnes during the last crop year.

As per the price monitoring cell of consumer affairs ministry, the average retail price of tur dal on Thursday was 136 per kg compared to Rs 106.5 a kilo last year. The price of urad dal has increased to Rs 114 a kilo from last year’s Rs 106.5. Moong dal too now costs Rs 102 a kg, against Rs 111 last year.
The ministry said among vegetables, the all-India average retail price of potato is about 12% lower than last year’s while the price of onion is about 5% higher than a year ago.
On the prices of tomato, the ministry said, “The prices of tomato has increased in recent weeks on account of a combination of factors like crop seasonality, white fly disease in Kolar, instantaneous arrival of monsoon rains in northern part of the country which adversely affected tomato crops in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and logistics disruptions in isolated areas due to heavy rains.”
The government data show that the average price of tomato on Thursday was Rs 140 a kilo compared to Rs 34 last year. While the maximum tomato price was Rs 257 a kg in Bulandshar in Uttar pradesh, it was selling at Rs 213 in Delhi and Rs 157 a kilo in Mumbai.