As prices of the humble tomato soar to over Rs 150 per kg in some cities across the country, the Tamil Nadu government has sprung a ‘fruity’ surprise.
The MK Stalin-led DMK government is selling tomatoes at a subsidised rate of Rs 60 per kg at ration shops in Chennai.
A customer named Baby told news agency ANI, “From today, tomato is being sold in ration shops at Rs 60/kg. It is available for Rs 100-130/kg in market. We are happy that the government has started the sale at half the price. We thank our government for this good initiative.”
The scheme will be implemented first in Chennai and the initiative will be extended to other parts of the state if required, announced Tamil Nadu minister for cooperatives KR Periyakaruppan on Tuesday.
While customers in Tamil Nadu are grinning ear to ear, the rising prices have caused a ripple of chaos for other Indian foodies for whom the tomato is almost a staple and an essential part of life.
While this unprecedented surge can be traced back to March and April when the unusual heat wave saw pest attacks and caused many farmers to abandon their crops, the Union government has maintained that tomato price rise is a seasonal phenomenon and the rates will go down in 15 days.
Howver, in Visakhapatnam, tomatoes are being sold at Rs 160 per kg, according to several media reports.
“The price of vegetables has increased a lot. Tomatoes are being sold at Rs 150 per kg. Customers are facing a lot of problems due to the price hike. I request the government to intervene and regularise the vegetable prices”, a customer told news agency ANI.
“The price of tomatoes has increased everywhere. Petrol is cheaper than tomatoes now. It has become extremely difficult for us to manage expenses now”, a vegetable buyer told ANI.
Like Stalin, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also rushed to control the rates. The government has directed its retail network Sufal Bangla to deliver fair-price vegetables in the city, PTI reported.
According to the report, Sufal Bangla was charging Rs 115 per kg for tomatoes. But that’s double of what Tamil Nadu is charging.
According to Consumer Affairs ministry data, the average all-India retail price was Rs 83.29 per kg.