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To buy, or not to buy: Tomato takes the cake as vegetable prices burn a hole in common man’s pocket
In several major markets of Lucknow, tomatoes -- now the undisputed king of staple vegetables (by price) -- are selling at ₹160 per kg.
LUCKNOW Remember the good old days when discussions regarding tomatoes centred around the question of it being a fruit or a vegetable? These days, such discussions couldn’t be more irrelevant for the common man, who is posed with a bigger internal dialogue -- to buy, or not to buy tomatoes at ₹160 per kg.
Yes, you read that right! In several major markets of Lucknow, tomatoes -- now the undisputed king of staple vegetables (by price) -- are selling at ₹160 per kg. This spike in tomato prices has been attributed to the recent rain spells in the region. To add to this, things are not likely to ease for the common man as the supply is expected to remain affected.
Consequently, the kitchen staple’s price has increased five times in less than a month. In first week of June, tomatoes were ₹25 per kg. Then, it soared to ₹100 per kg towards June last week. Now, the price of tomatoes is only behind exotic vegetables like coloured bell peppers and broccoli. “It has increasingly become difficult to manage the kitchen these days. Not just tomato, the prices of spices like cumin and melon seeds have also gone up in recent times,” said Anjana Goyal, a resident of Indira Nagar.
Former MP Brijlal Khabri, president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, said that the way the prices of vegetables have increased within a week, it is burning a hole in people’s pockets. Tomatoes, which used to cost ₹20-25 per kg, are now being sold for around ₹150. While the price of cucumber has doubled, the prices of brinjal, green chillies, and coriander are also on the rise. He added, “Along with vegetables, there is a huge jump in the prices of pulses, sugar, spices, and mustard oil as well. Almost all the spices -- including cumin, turmeric, and red chilli powder -- are now beyond the reach of the common man.”
Khabri further said that the government is neither paying attention to the causes of inflation nor is making any effort to reduce it. In fact, there is an apparent competition between tomatoes and apples and lately, tomatoes have started to overtake apples. Now, apples are also being brought to the mandis at a higher price.
Attacking the incumbent government over the rising prices of vegetables and fruits, he said that BJP ministers and leaders ‘constantly lie on the issue of inflation’. Earlier, on July 1, Samajwadi Party workers celebrated Akhilesh Yadav’s 50th birthday with a ‘tomato’ cake to highlight the surging prices of the vegetable (or fruit it is).
