MADURAI: As vegetable prices continue to skyrocket in the markets, the price of shallots (small onions) touched a new high of Rs 170 per kilo in the Madurai market. However, the sale of tomatoes by the horticulture department through farmers' market and carts have been a major hit as more than two tonnes of tomato were sold in just two days in the district.
The prices of many vegetables soared over the roofs, mostly as the arrival of vegetables took a nosedive over the past couple of weeks. "In particular the prices of tomato, shallots, beans, and ginger, have been 100-`150 per kg in Madurai. Notably, prices of shallots have increased from `80 per kg (as on June 1) to `170 per kg, which is notably the highest price of shallots in Madurai in the entire year," stated market experts, adding that incessant rain could increase the demand even higher, causing more inflation.
On the flipside, in aiding people from the skyrocketing prices, the horticulture department across the state has been procuring tomatoes from farmers, and selling them through uzhavar santhai and carts. According to officials, in Madurai, more than 2 tonnes (1.25 metric tonnes on Sunday and 905 kg on Monday) of tomatoes were sold through the uzhavar Santhai and carts.
They further stated that compared to the market price, the tomatoes sold through the department are sold at a much lesser price, which has had a decent demand among the people. Ramanathapuram collector issued an order on Monday stating that one person can purchase a maximum of one kg of tomatoes through the horticulture department sales.