Tomato prices rise in Andhra Pradesh as Madanapalle arrivals fall ahead of festive season
Tomato prices in the Rayalaseema districts of Andhra Pradesh have firmed up as arrivals at the Madanapalle market yard in Annamayya district, described as Asia's largest tomato market, slipped further on Wednesday (September 30).
The Agricultural Market Committee, Madanapalle, said 62 tonnes of tomatoes reached the yard on Wednesday, compared with 88 tonnes on Tuesday.
For 10 kg of first-grade produce, ₹410 was quoted on Wednesday. Second-grade tomatoes fetched between ₹200 and ₹290, while the last grade was quoted at ₹260. On September 29, first-grade tomatoes were sold at ₹330 for 10 kg and second grade at ₹250, according to the committee's figures. This works out to a rise of ₹80, or about 24 per cent, in the first-grade rate over a day.
In retail markets around Madanapalle, Kadapa, Tirupati and Kurnool, tomatoes were being sold at ₹45 to ₹50 a kg.
The Madanapalle yard handles around ₹350 crore of trade annually and normally records 900 to 1,300 tonnes a day during the peak season. It is currently passing through a phase of lean arrivals, which market officials and traders attribute to adverse climatic conditions in the tomato-growing clusters and to harvesting being advanced to coincide with the festival period.
Every week, 2,000 to 3,000 tonnes of tomatoes are transported from Madanapalle and Punganur to Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi and other States.
Traders said demand from other States during the Dasara, Diwali and Ayyappa Deeksha season would keep local prices at around ₹50 a kg or above unless arrivals improved. They cautioned, however, that the tomato trade is known for sharp swings and that price trends can change quickly once fresh stocks begin reaching the yard.
That volatility is visible in recent history. In June 2023, first-grade produce touched ₹1,400 for a 10-kg box, or ₹140 a kg, on a daily arrival of 615 tonnes. In the following year, prices crashed to ₹9 a kg, leaving growers with heavy losses.
Farmers said the prevailing price of about ₹370 a box was remunerative compared with the previous year's rates. They added, however, that the retail price of ₹50 a kg does not fully reach them once commission charges, transport costs and wastage are deducted.
The rise in prices is a reminder of how sensitive the tomato supply chain is to weather and to the timing of harvests. For households in the region, the immediate effect is a higher bill for a kitchen staple during the festive months, when consumption typically increases. For growers, the benefit depends on how much of the retail price they are able to retain once the produce leaves the farm gate.
Officials did not indicate when arrivals are expected to return to normal levels. Traders and farmers will be watching the yard's daily intake figures closely over the coming weeks, as the festive demand season runs its course.
