For the past one week or so, the price of tomatoes in most retail stories of Hyderabad, like in some other parts of the country, has hit a century. If you take the effort of going to a subzi mandi, you may be lucky to find them selling at ₹60 a kg.
Market observers say you must thank your stars as 'Mummy Daddy' from Rajasthan has come to your rescue. This is a hybrid variety of tomatoes that has virtually taken over the market in Hyderabad and has brought about some price stability.
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"We are getting a dozen trucks from Rajasthan for the last few days. If they had not come, prices of tomato would have gone through the roof," says commission agent Gopi at Telangana's biggest market yard at Bowenpally in Secunderabad. "In so many years that I have been working out of here, I have never seen such tomato imports from the north," he adds.
At Secunderabad's Monda Market, where people head to buy at slightly more affordable prices, vegetable vendor Padmavathi smiles and says, "Everywhere it is mummy-daddy. They have taken over. They say it is a new seed variety in Rajasthan."
However, the Telugu market is buying it with much reluctance. "The taste of 'Mummy Daddy' tomato is simply not the same as our desi variety. Even the Bengaluru hybrid variety is better and can be used in salads but not this variety," says Venkat Reddy, a seller at the market.
On Friday, the Bowenpally market yard parking lot was filled with 17 trucks, all of them with Rajasthan registration numbers. Tomatoes are also being supplied from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi.
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That north India, especially Rajasthan that records high temperatures, is supplying tomatoes to Hyderabad seems quite strange. Because agriculture experts say that traditional tomato-growing areas like Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh and Mulugu in Telangana have not grown any tomatoes beyond March because of the heat and drought conditions.
Srikanth Reddy, a tomato grower from Madanapalle says, "Tomato cultivation in most areas of Rajasthan is under canal irrigation. There is a lot of greenhouse technology and shade nets too. That is why this hybrid is growing in large quantity there."
Agriculture scientist GV Ramanjaneyulu is sceptical. He suspects the arrivals in the market are mostly tomatoes grown in March and kept in cold storage and the prices have been increased artificially. "No tomatoes are grown in the hot months of April, May and June, more so because of drought conditions. I suspect some clever trader in some part of the country bought tomatoes sold then at ₹3/kg and stored them in cold storage and is making a killing now. Of course, farmers do not make any money in the bargain, it is the middleman who is benefiting," he says.
At the Bowenpally market yard, the 'Mummy-Daddy' variety of tomato is selling for ₹40/kg. Retailers say the same would sell for ₹8/kg in Rajasthan.
