Amid soaring prices, UP vegetable seller hires bouncers to keep tomatoes safe from 'loot’

Amid soaring tomato prices across the country, a vegetable vendor in UP’s Varanasi has hired bouncers to keep customers at bay when they come to buy the vegetable, reported news agency PTI. The prices of tomatoes have increased massively, especially over the past few days. 

"I have hired bouncers because the tomato price is too high. People are indulging in violence and even looting tomatoes. Since we have tomatoes in the shop, we don't want any arguments, so we have bouncers here. Tomatoes are selling for Rs 160 per kg. People are buying 50 or 100 gms," the vendor, Ajay Fauji, told PTI.

Retail prices of tomatoes soared up to ₹162 per kg on Thursday across the country due to tight supplies caused by rainfall in many parts. Among metros, retail tomato prices remained highest at ₹152 per kg in Kolkata, followed by ₹120 per kg in Delhi, ₹117 per kg in Chennai and ₹108 per kg in Mumbai, according to the data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

The all-India average retail tomato price was ruling at ₹95.58 per kg on Thursday.

Market Intelligence and Analytics calculated the average cost of a thali based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east and west India.

Further, the report said that tur and gram prices increased 3 per cent sequentially in June, contributing to the increase in thali prices.

However, the cost of both veg and non-veg thalis declined 5 per cent in June 2023, compared to the same month last year due to a steep decline in prices of vegetables and cooking oil, which account for 25 per cent of the total cost of a veg thali.

The report noted that increase in prices of cereals, pulses and chicken further capped the decline in thali prices year-on-year.

The decline in thali cost was supported by an year-on-year decline of 15 per cent in onion and potato prices and 20 per cent in cooking oil prices in June, it stated.

High prices of wheat atta, which spurted 9 per cent year-on-year in June, have also limited the decline in the thali cost, said the report.

Meanwhile, the rising prices of rice and pulses by 12 per cent and 8 per cent year-on-year, respectively, in June, further prevented the decline in the cost of a veg thali, the report stated.

Similarly, broiler prices, which are estimated to have declined by up to 4 per cent year-on-year, supported the dip in the cost of a non-veg thali, the report added.