Climate shocks push kitchen staples beyond reach

CLIMATE CRISIS | Rising price of everyday staples like tomatoes, onions & potatoes is becoming most visible reminder of how global warming has entered the kitchen

- Biswajeet Banerjee

Extreme weather events linked to climate change are hitting Indian kitchens hard, with tomatoes, onions and potatoes emerging as the biggest drivers of food inflation. These short-duration crops, known for their perishability, are especially vulnerable to erratic rains, heatwaves, cyclones and hailstorms. When crops fail in the fields or rot in storage, the prices of these staples soar, sparking inflation that quickly ripples through households across the country.

India's reliance on the southwest monsoon makes its agriculture particularly fragile. With nearly 65 percent of cropped land unirrigated, farmers depend heavily on seasonal rainfall. A Reserve Bank of India study found that even minor shifts in weather have immediate effects: rainfall changes can raise vegetable inflation by about 1.24 percentage points, while temperature fluctuations can add 1.30 points.

The strain is equally visible in urban kitchens. In Lucknow, homemaker Sunita Yadav said she was forced to cut down on fresh vegetables when tomato prices hit record highs last year. "I used to buy two kilos of tomatoes every week. When the price crossed Rs 100, I stopped using them in daily cooking. My children complained that even simple dal tasted different without the tomato tadka. But what choice did I have?" she said.