Tomato Showed "Red Face"

Tomato, which is one of the most consumed foods in Azerbaijan, has shown this year on the shelves its true red face: the price compared to last year increased by about two times.

The beginning of autumn is a season of home pickling tomatoes. However, hardly any housewife dares to buy a box of tomatoes (35 kg) for 12 manat. Last year at this time the same box was at a price of no more than 7 manat. On the shelves of supermarkets and markets a kilo of tomatoes does not fall below 0.80 manat. Last year, the tomatoes at retail cost no more than 0.40 manat, say citizens.

The Ministry of Agriculture failed to explain the real reasons for this trend, citing the fact that the agency has no control over the market price.

In LLC Azersun Holding they told Turan that according to their observations of the objective reasons for the increase in prices for tomatoes, it is due to the low yield and management of a disease of this crop, and weather in this year's summer was too dry. The company buys tomatoes from farmers at 13 gepiks per 1kg. Azersun Holding is not going to increase prices for canned goods, most of which are exported.

According to the State Statistics Committee, in 2011, tomatoes were grown in Azerbaijan on 27.4 thousand hectares. With a yield of 16.5 tons per 1 ha, they harvested 463 thousand tons. According to the same source, the consumption of tomatoes per capita in Azerbaijan is 12.1 kg. - 08B-