JAIPUR: As the local harvest of tomato is exhausted, the price is going up by the day. Mohana Mandi wholesalers said the state is now dependent on Solan in Himachal Pradesh and Nasik from where the supply is also on the wane.

The price has gone up to Rs 60 per kg in the wholesale and nearly Rs 80 per kg in the retail. If this trend continues, tomato prices may touch Rs 100 per kg soon.

Due to the lack of storage, tonnes of tomatoes are rotting daily. The immense heat has also added to the plight.

“We used to get nearly eight trucks per day (50 tonnes of tomato in each truck) and now the supply has gone down to three trucks per day. Good quality tomatoes are available for Rs 60 per kg in the wholesale,” said Radheyshyam Phatak, a wholesale dealer and office-bearer of the dealers' association in the city told TOI on Wednesday.

“In June, the wholesale prices of tomato were between Rs 20 and Rs 30 per kg and were sold between Rs 30 and Rs 40 per kg in the retail market. Lack of storage facilities is a major issue,” said Sanwar Mal Saini, another wholesaler at Mohana Mandi. The rising prices also indicate that within a couple of months, till the fresh lot of local harvest of tomatoes crops up in September, the prices will continue to rise.

“Till September, the wholesale prices of tomatoes will fluctuate between Rs 60 per and Rs 80 per kg in the wholesale market and that might scale up to Rs 100 per kg in the retail market soon.