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Last updated: July 12, 2023, 21:54 IST
Retail prices of tomatoes have risen to 200 rupees per kg in several parts of the country due to supply disruptions caused by heavy rains in the country. (photo: News18)
A travel agency in Tamil Nadu offers a kilogram of tomato free to every customer for booking flight tickets
The high cost of tomatoes made them a luxury item in the country, with prices reaching 180 rupees per kilogram in many areas.
In Madurai in Tamil Nadu, a travel agency has devised a unique promotional scheme. With tomatoes constantly making headlines due to their exorbitant cost, the agency gives out a kilo of the prized fruit for free to every customer for booking airline tickets.
People who book international plans are more fortunate, receiving one and a half kilograms of tomatoes.
The owner of the agency explained: “Many clients used this offer and booked tickets and the offer was valid for only two days (July 11-12). We attracted many clients with this offer. They also got tomatoes for free and we are happy to give them away because they help a lot in our business.”
Meanwhile, the AIADMK political party in Tamil Nadu has taken advantage of the tomato’s luxury status to celebrate and protest. After E Palanisamy was approved by the Election Commission as the party’s general secretary, the party cadres celebrated by distributing free tomatoes to women.
A party member explained, “We wanted to celebrate the gesture of the European Commission to accept our leader as Secretary General of the AIADMK, and therefore we thought of distributing tomatoes because they are very expensive now and the poor find it difficult to buy these luxurious vegetables that were previously humble vegetables. We bought 100 kilograms of tomatoes at 130 rupees per kilogram and we distributed it to the women for free.”
In Chennai, AIADMK cadres protest against the hike in vegetable prices. In a mixture of criticism and sympathy, they sang songs about the government’s handling of the situation and distributed 1,001 aid bags containing tomatoes, and eggs, to the underprivileged.
The sight of long lines for this aid underscores the gravity of the situation and the extraordinary role the once-humble tomato plays in India’s social and economic landscape.
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