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'Does she eat tomatoes?': Team Uddhav's dig at Sitharaman as prices soar
Tomato prices have skyrocketed in the markets across the country from ₹10-20 per kg to a price of ₹80-100 per kg due to a dip in supply.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Tuesday took a sharp jibe at Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman amid the soaring price of tomatoes across the country.
In a tweet, Chaturvedi asked, "Does the country's finance minister eat tomatoes? Will you be able to answer the rising prices of tomatoes?"
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader's remark was in an apparent reference to Sitharaman's comment on onion prices during the winter session of Parliament in 2019. Interrupted by opposition benches over the soaring onion prices, Sitharaman quipped that she belongs to a family that has little to do with the vegetable bulb.
“I don't eat a lot of onions and garlic, so don't worry. I come from a family that doesn't have much to do with onions,” Sitharaman had remarked.
Tomato prices have skyrocketed from ₹10-20 per kg to a price of ₹80-100 per kg in the markets across the country. The reason behind the steep rise is said to be a dip in supply due to heatwaves and heavy rain in tomato-growing areas.
“This year, for a variety of reasons, fewer tomatoes were sown than in prior years. As the price of beans surged last year, many farmers switched to growing beans this year,” ANI quoted Ajay Kedia, a Mumbai-based commodity market expert and head of Kedia Advisory, as saying.
"However, a lack of monsoon rains has caused the crops to dry out and wilt. The limited supply of vegetables, particularly tomatoes are due to crop damage caused by heavy rainfall and extreme heat," he added.
Tomato, sold at ₹40 to 50 per kg a week ago in the UP's Kanpur market is now being sold at ₹100 per kg while in Delhi it is being sold at ₹80 per kg.
