A 700% Jump in Tomato Prices Gives Windfall to India Farmers

  • Prices surged this year on transport woes after heavy rains
  • Government selling subsidized tomatoes, but prices stay high
Vendors sell tomatoes at a market in Bengaluru on July 12.Photographer: Xinhua/Getty Images
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An eight-fold surge in tomato prices is making some Indian farmers rich, although their windfall gains may be short-lived due to a likely rise in supplies in the coming weeks.

Retail prices of tomatoes were at 178 rupees ($2.20) a kilogram in Delhi on Sunday, a jump of more than 700% from Jan. 1, according to data compiled by the food ministry. The national average was almost 120 rupees that day.