After semiconductor chips and coal, India now has a tomato shortage

• Tomato prices are spiking across the country.
• In Chennai, the price has even gone up to ₹70/kg.
• Unexpected rains in a few states damaging tomato cultivation is being pointed out as the main reason.

It’s the season of shortages in India. Semiconductor chips are rare globally and India is no different. The recent spike in power consumption has led to a shortage of locally-sourced coal in India leading to power cuts for as much as 10 hours a day in some parts of the country.

Tomatoes are the next in line. Yes, tomatoes.

Wholesale prices have spiked to ₹40 a kilogram (kg) in Karnataka, according to news agency ANI. Local media reports also suggest that the prices of tomatoes at the Ghazipur Mandi, a wholesale market near the national capital, also touched ₹36 per kg.

Retail prices have crossed ₹50 in Delhi and Mumbai. In Chennai, reports suggest that the prices have crossed ₹70.





Some unexpected rains damaged crops in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka. These are states that produce a lot of tomatoes and therefore the supply has shrunk and the prices are up.


There is a trickle down effect from rising fuel prices too, which have added to the cost of transportation of these vegetables. This is visible in the rise in prices of other vegetables too, which are reportedly up by about 25%.


The latest spike has come a day after government data showed that consumer price inflation had fallen to 4.35%, the lowest in the last five months. The Reserve Bank of India, too, recently projected a benign impact due to rising living expenses. However, the risks seem to be piling up.

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