Ranchi: Tomato, the versatile fruit treated as a vegetable, now costs Rs 50 per kilo in Ranchi and Rs 40 in Jamshedpur and Dhanbad, forcing the middle class to compromise on purchases and taste for the sake of the family budget.

In Ranchi, tomatoes sold at Rs 20 a kilo last week. In Dhanbad and Jamshedpur, tomatoes sold at Rs 24 and Rs 20-Rs 25 a kilo, respectively, last week.

But, the spurt in price seems to be largely the result of heavy rain destroying local cultivation and stocks. Ranchi wholesalers said Bangalore supplied most of the tomatoes to the city, which made traders and customers here bear the brunt of transport costs. They also blamed the ongoing nationwide chakka jam indirectly for the crisis.

In Jamshedpur, wholesalers said they were still getting locally produced tomatoes from Patamda (East Singhbhum) and Tamar (Ranchi) but many had rotted in the rain. Dhanbad wholesalers said tomato production had been less this season in local fields of Baliapur, Tundi, Govindpur, among others, while the next tomato crop would be planted after the rainy season.

Vinay Kumar Gupta, a vendor at Harmu market in Ranchi, held rain responsible for the hike in tomato price.

"Heavy rain has washed away local tomato production. Now, tomatoes are coming from Bangalore. Transportation costs jack up retail price," Gupta said. Agreed President of Daily Market Dukandar Samiti, Mohammed Seraj, who oversees the wholesale vegetable market in Ranchi. "Crisis of tomatoes in the local market will last till October. Ranchi consumes 30 tonne of tomatoes a day but is now depending on Bangalore for supply. Price can't be controlled," Seraj said. He also blamed the ongoing nationwide chakka jam for the crisis.

Wholesaler Hari Kishore at Bistupur vegetable market, Jamshedpur, said they were worried whether the supply from Patamda and Tamar would dry up.

Krishna Kumar, a vegetable retailer of Jharia, said they were themselves feeling strange that they were selling tomato at a price six times higher than in winter. "In winter, we sell tomato at Rs 7 per kg. Compare this with now. No wonder customers are staying away," he said.

Ranchi homemaker and Harmu Housing Colony resident Parwati Tripathi agreed. "I love putting tomato in gravies and salads. But nowadays, I am skipping tomatoes in my salad. I only put radish, which is Rs 30 per kg, and onion, which is Rs 20 per kg," she said. Mamta Kumari, another Ranchi homemaker at Argora, said tomato soup, a great family favourite, was not on the daily menu anymore.

Additional reporting by Pinaki Majumdar & Praduman Choubey

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