A lettuce growers says he is concerned high tomato prices may be putting consumers off salads altogether.

Victorian lettuce grower Wayne Shields said his sales of lettuce had dropped by about 30 per cent in recent months.

Mr Shields said he normally did not have a problem moving his stock, but he had to drop his prices recently to get things going again.

"Well yeah, I'd like to make money every time," he said.

"Every point has got to be a winner, if you know what I mean. I don't like doing things for cost price, it just doesn't add up at the end.

"I was just sort of thinking to myself 'I wonder why lettuce has slowed up a bit lately?' And then it hit me about the tomato prices."

Colder weather may be another factor in the drop off in sales.

"As we come into winter in Victoria I wind back my plantings as we face more competition from Queensland," Mr Shields said.

"Generally speaking though this year has been quieter than most, even though the weather isn't quite as bad as normal."

Every capsicum seedling that was planted was lost after Cyclone Debbie. ( ABC News: Dominique Schwartz )

'Perfect storm' keeps tomatoes in short supply

A crop disease in Western Australia, the fallout from damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Debbie, and failing glasshouse crops in South Australia have all contributed to the ongoing tomato shortage, which in some cases has pushed retail prices above $10 per kilo.

Ausveg Vic chairman David Wallace said the unusual combination of challenges the industry was facing were like nothing he had seen before.

"I think Cyclone Debbie did more damage than people initially thought," he said.

"There's also very few tomatoes coming through from Western Australia because of the tomato potato psyllid.

"Otherwise normally WA would fill the void from Queensland. But because of restrictions and protocols between states, they're also a bit scarce.

"Victoria can't fill the gap at this time of year, although there are some big greenhouses in Victoria now."

Mr Wallace expects the shortage to ease in coming weeks.

"Over the next two or three weeks, these extreme prices will start to fall back. Supply will come back on from Queensland then," he said.

"It's hard to predict what might happen to pricing, but they might come back to half of what they are now.

"Consumers have still got a good choice. If tomatoes aren't in their price budget there are other vegetables that can take their place."