Shimla, July 11 (IANS) If prices of tomatoes are pinching your wallet blame it on the rain gods. Lack of monsoon showers has reduced tomato production in Himachal Pradesh by 35-40 percent, triggering a massive price hike for the vegetable in north Indian cities.
“Lack of pre-monsoon and monsoon showers in the tomato-growing belt of the state in the past two months has hit its production by 35-40 percent,” Additional Director (Agriculture) H.R. Sharma told IANS Saturday.

He said the tomato crop was badly damaged in Solan, Sirmaur, Shimla, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts.

Rahul Jaiswal, a seller at the Solan wholesale vegetable market, said tomato prices have shot up more than three-fold in just a few weeks due to low supply.

“Tomato prices have skyrocketed these days to more than three-fold. These days it is selling between Rs.35 and Rs.40 per kg in Chandigarh and Delhi markets,” he said.

Himachal Pradesh is the major tomato-producing state of the region.

According to Jaiswal, the situation will remain the same till the arrival of the new crop.

Sharma attributed the decline in tomato crop to lack of moisture in soil.

“Because of inadequate rain this season, the moisture content in soil has reduced drastically. The sudden rise in day temperature in June has further made the situation precarious,” he said.

“If there is not sufficient rain in the next few weeks, the prospects of another flush of tomato are bleak. Some of the farmers have managed to protect the crop by using irrigation systems,” he added.

About 81 percent of the total cultivated area in the state is rain-fed.

According to the meteorological office here, Himachal Pradesh has received the lowest rainfall in the past 20 years this monsoon.

“The overall monsoon situation continues to be precarious. Large parts continue to be deficit,” Met office Director Manmohan Singh said.

“The deficiency in the cumulative rainfall from June 1 to July 8 is more than 69 percent. The state has received (during this period) just 45.1 mm rainfall against the average rainfall of 145.2 mm,” he added.

S.P. Bhardwaj, joint director at the Solan-based Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, said some rain in the past two-three days has raised hopes of a good tomato harvest again.

“Rain in the past two-three days, though much delayed, will be beneficial for the crop. If this process (rain) continues, then another flush of tomato in the next few weeks will be good. The present plantation would continue to bear one or two more flushes,” he said.

Added a satisfied Sukh Ram, a farmer from Solan district: “The recent rains have cheered us. Now we are hoping to get another crop if the weather remains favourable.”

Solan district is the major tomato-producing area in the state, with more than 90 percent of the produce going to markets in northern states.

Tomato is grown in about 955 hectares in the state. In 2008-09, the total production was 336,287 metric tonnes.