Tomato Challenge - Hoarding is not as bad as it sounds | Prof. Vidya Mahambare's article published by Mint

The article highlights that, given that tomatoes and onions are essential food items in most Indian households, relatively low-income families face the brunt of it in terms of household expenditure when these prices shoot up, and without notice. The release of hoarded produce lowers tomorrow’s prices when tomorrow comes. This is because supply would be higher tomorrow than it would’ve been had no hoarding taken place. In economics, these are called 'invisible' trade offs because what happens tomorrow cannot be seen today. Such trade-offs are largely ignored. Overall, hoarding tends to reduce price volatility. We should consider the welfare gains from lower variation in food prices between today and tomorrow.