Tomatoes suppliers battle with demand, prices soar in SA
A South African tomato producer has confirmed there's a temporary shortage of the fruit, which has, in turn, caused prices to shoot up.
The ZZ2 group of companies says the heavy rains, the country experienced earlier this year, have led to the pantry staple being in short supply.
The company's Clive Garrett says other vegetables have been affected.
He explains why excessive rain isn't good for tomatoes.
"Tomatoes are very important to a person's diet and it a staple food in South Africa.
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The thing is with tomatoes, they need a lot of water and they love it but they don't like rain. What happens is you have infestations of insects and then you have actual damage to the fruit itself from the rain."
"So our price in SA is driven by supply and demand so unfortunately it is a factor and it happens all over the world, when there is a shortage of goods the price goes up."
