From McDonald’s to the Central government — the humble tomato has caused mayhem this week. With average prices shooting up to Rs 110 per kilo on 12 July, the American fast food giant took it off the menu and the government intervened to provide the pantry staple at discounted prices.
The price of this fruit-cum-sabzi has risen by more than 400 per cent in less than two months. According to data from the Price Monitoring Division of the Department of Consumer Affairs, the average price of tomatoes on 31 May was an inoffensive Rs 25 per kilo. But by the end of June, tomato prices almost doubled to Rs 50 a kilo, and reached Rs 90 a kilo by 5 July and Rs 110 a week later. In fact in cities such as Bathinda, the price was as high as Rs 203 per kg. Even celebrities are eating fewer tomatoes, if the words of Suniel Shetty are to be believed.
The soaring prices of tomatoes have also made news abroad. CNN reported how this must-have ingredient is now off the menu. The politicised national and international uproar around tomato prices is why it is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.
Also read: Biggest tomato market from June-August, Kolar feels the heat — poor rain, plant disease hit trade
Politics of tomatoes
Despite experts saying that inflation is caused by erratic and extreme weather and crop infections, the opposition pulled up the Modi government for the uncontrolled rise and its lack of intervention in late June.
The government eventually intervened on 12 July. It directed the Department of Consumer Affairs, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), and the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) to procure tomatoes from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra to be sold in Delhi-NCR. These tomatoes will be price-controlled and sold at a subsidised rate of Rs 90 per kg.
This exhibits how food prices continue to shape our politics.
The onion has also been at the centre of such politicised conflicts and cost ruling governments greatly.
During Indira Gandhi’s campaign in 1980, she made onion prices a rallying cry — waving garlands of onions during rallies. She won the election. In 1998, BJP is believed to have lost the Delhi assembly election due to a hike in onion prices — Rs 100 per kilo. When adjusted for inflation, that amounts to Rs 500 per kilo today.
According to a 1998 India Today report, late satirist-cum-comedian Jaspal Bhatti arrived at a market in Chandigarh with black-cat commandos to buy onions, priced at Rs 65 per kilo at the time. He wanted protection to buy these ‘precious items’.
While it is yet to be seen if tomato prices of 2023 will have any lasting political impact, it has inspired similar antics. On 9 July, a man in Uttar Pradesh hired two bouncers to “protect” the tomatoes on his cart. Responding to this, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that the BJP government must provide ‘Z Plus’ security to tomatoes. However, it turned out that a Samajwadi Party worker had used a vegetable vendor’s stall to stage the protest. Later, the vendor and the party worker were booked on various charges, including promoting hatred, enmity or ill will between classes.
महंगे टमाटरों की लूट रोकने के लिए दुकानदार ने रखे बाउंसर,सपा प्रमुख अखिलेश यादव ने कसा तंज
कहा- '''बीजेपी Z PLUS सुरक्षा दे''#AkhileshYadav #Tomato #BJP | @yadavakhilesh pic.twitter.com/WOCGSfECDx
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) July 9, 2023
Cartoonist Kirtish Bhatt satirised the incident of a Karnataka truck carrying tomatoes being looted.
रिस्क है तो बीमा है pic.twitter.com/ygAFFqigB3
— Kirtish Bhatt (@Kirtishbhat) July 11, 2023
Looking for alternatives
From Sambhar to makhani gravies, tomatoes are indispensable in most Indian kitchens. And the rising prices have created a market for alternatives to fresh tomatoes. Indians are now turning to tomato puree.
Google trends data show that the search term ‘tomato puree’ has dramatically spiked, largely in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana.
People are typing the names of brands that sell puree, trying to buy it online, and comparing its price per kilogram to that of fresh tomatoes. The demand has gone up so much that Twitter users have reported that puree is out of stock on online delivery platforms. Google searches for tomato ketchup have also surged.
While India has managed some control over its overall Consumer Price Index inflation, the soaring prices of tomatoes may tip this balance.
As of now, this crucial economic statistic does not accurately reflect the hardships faced by people on the ground.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)