Tomato arrivals at the Agricultural Market Committee (AMC) Yard in Madanapalle of Annamayya district have doubled this year resulting in short-term price fluctuations but also prompting State intervention to support farmers.

In a statement on Sunday, the Market Yard chairman, Jangala Sivarama, said the yard was receiving over 3,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes daily, compared to about 1,550 metric tonnes during the same period last year. The surge in supply, coupled with seasonal demand variations, caused prices to dip briefly in recent days.

Rejecting reports that prices had fallen to ₹3 per kg, Mr. Sivarama clarified that rates had remained far higher. Over the past two days, tomatoes were sold between ₹7 and ₹11 per kg. On Sunday, the price of the first grade tomatoes stood at ₹16 per kg, and ₹13 for the second grade.

“Prices are showing signs of recovery, and we expect them to stabilise further in the coming days,” he said, urging tomato growers not to panic over “misleading reports”.

Meanwhile, senior officials of the horticulture department in Annamayya district observed that the spike in arrivals was due to favourable crop conditions across the Madanapalle belt and neighbouring districts.

The officials said that to prevent distress among farmers, the state government stepped in with procurement measures. As many as 60 metric tonnes of tomatoes were purchased directly from Annamayya district and transported to markets in Machilipatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and other urban centres to balance supply.

With arrivals expected to remain high till the end, the market committee chairman appealed to the transporters and bulk buyers to ensure smooth supply and better price realisation for farmers.

Published - July 26, 2026 07:43 pm IST