Section 144 in kitchens, says Congress as tomato prices soar over ₹100/kg in southern cities | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Section 144 in kitchens, says Congress as tomato prices soar over 100/kg in southern cities

By | Written by Meenakshi Ray, New Delhi
Nov 23, 2021 09:09 PM IST

The sharp rise in tomato prices in major cities of south India is being attributed to widespread moderate to heavy rainfall since the first week of November.

Tomato prices have shot up across the county and are being sold at over 100 per kg in some southern states because of widespread rain, government data showed, prompting the Congress party to hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre.

Tomato prices have soared to over <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>100 in some cities in the southern part of the country. &nbsp;(HT File Photo)
Tomato prices have soared to over 100 in some cities in the southern part of the country.  (HT File Photo)

The sharp rise in tomato prices in major cities of south India is being attributed to widespread moderate to heavy rainfall since the first week of November. The tomato crop has been damaged due to the rain and it has led to a shortage in its supply.

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People in Kerala’s Kottayam have to pay 120 per kg of tomatoes, those in Ernakulam 110 per kg, Thiruvananthapuram 103 per kg, Palakkad 100 per kg, Thrissur 97 per kg and those in Wayanad and Kozhikode are buying them for 90 per kg.

Also read | Five charts that explain the inflation situation in India

In Chennai, a kilogram of tomato was being sold at 100, 90 per kg in Puducherry, 88 per kg in Bengaluru and 65 per kg in Hyderabad. In Karnataka, the price of tomato was 85 per kg in Dharwad, 84 per kg in Mysuru, 80 a kg in Mangaluru and 78 per kg in Bellary.

In Andhra Pradesh, tomato prices were 91 for a kilo in Vijayawada, 80 per kg in Visakhapatnam and 75 per kg in Tirupati.

However, according to the data by the consumer affairs ministry for 167 centres representing all regions of the country, tomatoes were being sold at 72 per kg in Delhi.

Also read | Congress launches campaign in Bihar for awareness over price rise

"The tomato supply to Delhi from south India has been affected because of the rains. If rains continue in the coming days, the prices in the national capital might rise from the current level,” Ashok Kaushik, the president of the Azadpur Tomato Association, told PTI.

The Congress party said that the government is trying to divert people’s attention from these real issues like inflation to "non-issues" of caste and religion. 

Also read | Wholesale inflation soars to five-month high of 12.54%

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that prices of commodities of daily use are sky-rocketing due to which the masses are suffering. "It appears as though there is Section 144 in the kitchen that you cannot keep more than four tomatoes or onions," Khera told reporters.      

"We would not allow the collective attention of the country to be hijacked by this government by creating non-issues by hiding their failures," he said.      

National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation data shows that India is the world's second-largest tomato producer after China and produces around 19.75 million tonnes from an area of 7.89 lakh hectares with an average yield of 25.05 tonnes per hectare.

(With agency inputs)

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