The recent diesel price hike and short duration rains have pushed up prices of tomatoes to Rs. 40 a kg in retail markets in the nation capital, but the rates have now started showing a decline in the wake of a boost in supply from the South.

"The transporters raised their fare by 5-10 per cent with the hike in diesel price by Rs. 3 a litre last week, which had its impact on the cost of tomato," Azadpur market Tomato Traders Association General Secretary Subhash Chugh on Thursday.

Wholesale prices of tomatoes have been ruling at Rs. 15-20 a kg since the past one week in the wholesale market of Azadpur, Asia's biggest fruits and vegetables market, Association President Darshan Arora said.

Consequently, the retail cost of the vegetable soared to Rs. 40 a kg in the national capital two days back, traders said. The retail price of tomatoes was in the range of Rs. 15-20 per kg prior to the sudden jump.

Another reason for the price rise was a fall in supply due to damage caused to crops because of recent short duration rains, he added.

"The first rain for short span after days of intense heat destroyed the crop in the field in major producing regions of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana," Chugh said.

He said another reason for the supply fall was a drop in arrival of the produce from the Ladwa-Karnal-Ambala belt of Haryana, where farmers destroyed their tomato crop in the field about a month back when its price plummeted to Rs. 1-2 a kg in the wholesale market in New Delhi.

These farmers ran tractors through their fields to clear the ground for other commercial vegetables before the monsoon, he added.

Chugh and Arora, however, said the supply position is now showing an improvement after the start of arrivals of tomato crops into Delhi from Bangalore, which is now supplementing the supply of the veggie from Shimla and Solan in Himachal Pradesh.

A total of 15 trucks each carrying about 8 tonnes of tomatoes arrived in the Azadpur market today, Chugh said. This added to the arrival of 20-30 tempos (each carrying around 4 tonnes) from Shimla and Solan and 15 tempos from Haryana, Chugh added.

The situation would further improve with the arrival of tomatoes from the Nashik belt, in Maharashtra, in another 15 days, Arora said.