Long queues form outside Rythu Bazaars for tomato, onion

Long queues at MVP Rythu Bazaar for affordable tomatoes and onions as prices surge, additional counters opened to manage rush.

People lined up in long queues outside MVP Rythu Bazaar on Sunday for tomato and onion, as prices of the essentials rose by ₹20 to ₹30 in the open market. The queues kept on swelling even as authorities opened additional counters and procured adequate stock to deal with the rush.

“We opened eight counters for the sale of tomato and onion. On an average, eight tonnes of tomato is sold a day at the bazaar. We procured 6.50 tonnes in the morning, and we’re trying to arrange for the remaining stock by afternoon. Tomato is being sold here for ₹47 a kg while the open market price ranges between ₹70 and ₹80,” said MVP Rythu Bazaar Estate Officer G. Prasad.

Onion is being sold at ₹37, ₹47 and ₹53 a kg, for the Kurnool variety, Solapur variety and Maharashtra variety respectively. On an average, seven to eight tonnes of onion is sold at the MVP Rythu Bazaar daily. “We have adequate stocks of onion. Customers are apprehensive of a further rise in prices and are hoarding onion as it has a longer shelf life,” Mr. Prasad said.

When his attention was brought to complaints regarding poor quality of tomato being sold at Rythu Bazaar counters, he said: “The stocks got wet while being plucked during the recent rains and some of the stocks got damaged in transit.”