Making tomato-based sauces supplemented with boxed tomato puree from the supermarket—or simply avoiding dishes that require this vegetable—are some of the ways families have managed to pinch pennies and minimize their purchases of this staple, which has seen a sharp rise in price.
Meanwhile, vendors at public markets and produce stalls report that their sales have plummeted by as much as 30% over the past few weeks—a decline they attribute to the escalating prices.
“There are people who used to buy a kilo, or a kilo and a half, and now they’re only taking half a kilo; others are buying just two or three tomatoes, strictly for soup,” says Don Jesús Vázquez, a vendor at the Martínez de la Torre Market in the Colonia Guerrero neighborhood.
A tour of various public markets revealed that prices range from 35 to 60 pesos per kilo, depending on the variety chosen—whether small or large—and the overall quality. In comparison, a kilo sells for 59 pesos at supermarkets, while at smaller greengrocers, the price sits at 50 pesos.
As shoppers browse the produce—inquiring about prices and selecting only a few items, just enough to get by, or forgoing tomatoes entirely if possible—another vendor, Jocelyn Moreno, highlights the severe impact the price hikes have had on their business:
“I buy directly from the Central de Abastos [wholesale market], and my costs have gone up significantly. The amount I currently spend on a single box used to buy me two; now, that same box is costing me double—or even triple—the price.” She is selling tomatoes at 34—down a few pesos after having stood at 50 at the start of the week—a shift that has caused her wholesale customers, who previously bought up to ten kilos from her, to now take only half that amount. Furthermore, she notes that another vegetable to have seen an exponential price hike is the cucumber, which previously sold for 20 pesos but is now offered at 50.
“They come by and get a little annoyed, but what can I do? They ask me why it’s so expensive, and I don’t know what to tell them—but it really is just too expensive,” she says.
With prices on the rise, shoppers are finding their budgets increasingly squeezed—such as Rosa María Hernández, who has opted to visit a produce stand to buy ripe tomatoes, where she can get them at a lower price.
