KURNOOL: To control the spiralling prices of tomatoes, the officials have taken steps to supply the fruit through the rythu bazaars at an affordable rate. Now, a kg of tomatoes is available for Rs 65 in government-run rythu bazaars. The fruit was sold at Rs 90 a kg in open markets in the erstwhile Kurnool district on Wednesday. Tomato price had touched Rs 130 a kg in retail markets on Tuesday when it was sold at Rs 80 per kg in rythu bazaars.
On Wednesday, C Camp Rythu Bazaar estate officer K Kalyani officially started tomato sales after reducing the rate to Rs 65 from Rs 80. They arranged a separate counter to sell Kolar tomatoes, which were imported from Karnataka by the State government.“We received 130 tomato boxes, each weighing 25 kg, on Wednesday and supplied to the consumers at Rs 65 per kg,” Kalyani said. She, however, said that at least 100 boxes of tomatoes are required every day in the market.
Speaking to TNIE, Assistant Director of Marketing (ADM) Satyanarayana Chowdary said that they received 10 tonnes of tomatoes from Kolar and those were distributed to all rythu bazaars in Kurnool and Nandyal districts. Hoping for regular imports from Kolar, the ADM said they urged the state government to continue the supply of tomatoes as part of controlling prices of the fruit.
He further said that as per government guidelines, they were spending Rs 60 per kg on Kolar tomatoes and the same are being sold to the consumers through the rythu bazaars at Rs 65 per kg, after including other charges and expenses.With the availability of tomatoes at affordable rates at Rythu bazaars, consumers make a beeline to the government-run markets.
This, in fact, led to a price cut in open retail markets with the price touching Rs 100 a kg from Rs 130 per kg on Tuesday. Later in the day, tomato prices in the open markets stabilised around Rs 90 a kg. K Prathibha, a resident of Doctors’ Colony in Kurnool, urged the State government to take permanent solutions to control the prices of tomatoes and vegetables.