The prices of tomato have witnessed a hike of whopping 200 per cent in the last three days in the leading markets of central Uttar Pradesh. The recent heavy rains in Nashik in Maharashtra and parts of UP have prevented the timely harvesting of the produce, resulting in dearth of supply and consequent skyrocketing of prices.

Kanpur Vegetable Wholesalers' Association (KVWA) secretary, Amarjeet Singh Chaddha told Business Standard that it had been more than two years back that the prices had jumped so sharply. "Tomato, which was selling for Rs 12-15 per kg just three days back, have reached up to Rs 45 per kg and the trend is expected to continue for at least one week," he added.

The price rise has burnt holes in the pockets of the common man as the trend is being witnessed across all the edible commodities of daily use. The prices of daily spices like turmeric have also risen by around 40 per cent, apart from the pulses, which have recorded an all-time high reaching almost Rs 90 per kg. The rise has also triggered instances of brick batting and mobbing in Kanpur and Agra. Chhadha said, owing to limited supply from other states and destruction of crop in the local farming belt, supply had suffered drastically. "Earlier, we used to receive at least 100 trucks of tomato (around 1,000 tonnes) everyday at the Kanpur market alone, while now it has reduced drastically to just 25 consignments (around 250 tonnes) everyday," he explained.

Farmers have not been able to obtain the expected yield from their fields due to the untimely rains last week. According to an estimate, around 20,000 tonnes of tomato harvest have perished due to the rains in the central UP region alone, resulting in colossal losses for farmers.