CHENNAI: Lower acreage for tomato cultivation in Tamil Nadu and cold weather in key regions of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have hit supply in the state, pushing up prices. In Chennai, the hybrid ‘navin’ variety hit a high of ?60 per kg in retail markets on Friday, while the local variety cost ?50 per kg.Several hotels in Chennai have come up with solutions that includes cutting down on tomato use. “We are restricting the use of tomatoes as much as possible and alternatively using tamarind... We are ensuring that customers are not affected in any way,” said M Ravi, who runs the Vasantha Bhavan chain of vegetarian restaurants and is Chennai Hoteliers Association president.The situation is the same across the state, with Cyclone Gaja that ravaged Dindigul district, a major tomato hub, being cited as a reason for short supply. Around this time last year, wholesale tomato prices in places like Madurai hovered around ?5 per kg.At the Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai, there has been a 50% drop in number of trucks bringing in tomatoes, mainly from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. “A 15 kg box of tomatoes sold for ?250-?260 four days ago and crossed ?500; higher quality tomatoes even sold for ?550- ?600 per box on Friday,” said Bhuvaneshwaran, a wholesale trader.“A huge drop in tomato cultivation in TN has forced traders from Dindigul and nearby districts to look for supplies from AP and Karnataka, adding to the woes,” says Ravi S, another wholesaler.For Madurai region, this is when local markets get large supplies, mostly from Dindigul. “Horticultural crops on 5,600 hectares were damaged by Cyclone Gaja. Though tomato crops were not damaged, there was heavy flower drop, affecting supply,” said Dindigul deputy director of Horticulture, K Srinivasan.In Coimbatore region, the unusually cold weather has taken a toll on cultivation, spiking prices from ?30 per kg a fortnight ago to ?60 now. While bad weather forced reduction in acreage of tomato cultivation, the yield from cultivated crops too dropped. “I used to harvest 15 tonnes per acre. This season, I managed only seven tonnes,” said S Ganesan of Thalavadi in Erode district. Farmers who used to raise tomato crop on more than 600 acres, this season cut it down to 250 acres.“It’s a seasonal phenomenon, when tomato suffers damage during extreme cold. But, we have not seen any alarming damage or fall in yield in Coimbatore,” said M Chinnadurai, Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, TNAU.

Stay updated with all the Chennai Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.