Visakhapatnam: Concerned over the major increase in vegetable prices, the state government under its market intervention scheme purchased tomatoes from the open market and disbursed them through the Rythu Bazaars on Thursday.
The intervention came after tomato prices touched ₹100 per kilo.
The Rythu Bazaar purchased nine tonnes of tomatoes from Madanapalle and 13 tonnes from Palamanooru. Two tonnes of tomatoes were sent to Kadapa, seven tonnes to Kurnool, 10 tonnes to Vijayawada and three tonnes to Nellore.
“We will be sending tomatoes to Vizag on Friday and possibly to Srikakulam and Viziangaram. This is hoped to bring down tomato prices in the market,” said Challa Ramanjaneyulu, joint marketing director.
The prices at which tomatoes were selling in various Rythu Bazaars in AP were ₹70 per kg in Machilipatnam and in MVP Colony Vizag, ₹50 in Rajahmundry, ₹64 in Kurnool and ₹74 in Anantapur.
Challa Ramanjaneyulu said the office of the Rythu Bazaar is closely monitoring the prices. The aim is to stabilize the price to between ₹50 and ₹65.
Multiple reasons are cited for the rise in tomato price, but the main reason is the incessant rains. Crop damage led to a fall in supply both due to rains and the extreme heat in the previous days. Fewer tomatoes were planted this year as many farmers switched over from tomato to cultivation of beans, which fetched good prices last year.
The market intervention is done on an ad hoc basis. It covers horticulture and other agricultural goods that are perishable in nature and are not covered by the minimum support price (MSP) scheme.
