As for tomato production, it peaked in 2019-20 at 21.187 million tonnes (MT) and has been declining since. The chart shows the modal retail price of a kg of tomato in India in the past one month. The maximum retail price was ₹245 per kg, while the minimum retail price was ₹40 per kg and the modal price was ₹120 per kg. A July 2022 study by ICRIER notes how tomato prices have been following a cyclical phenomenon, with the same situation arising every alternate year. Building more processing units and linking tomato value chains to processing of at least 10% of tomato production into tomato paste and puree during peak seasons, and using them in the lean season when fresh tomato prices spike can be a solution.

Source: The Hindu July 20, 2023 15:41 UTC