Silence gripped vegetable markets all over Rayalaseema, with the price of third-grade tomato touching ₹250 per kg at many places on Monday.
In the vegetable markets in Chittoor and Annamayya districts, there were no takers for the pricey vegetable. The vendors also restricted themselves from buying additional boxes before disposing of the older stocks. Meanwhile, small retailers have stopped selling tomatoes, fearing losses.
The Madanapalle vegetable market on Monday received a stock of 321 tonnes of tomatoes, with the first grade priced at ₹220 per kg and the second grade at ₹184.
In the Angallu private market near Madanapalle, the tomato price touched an all-time high at ₹240 a kg for the first grade, which in turn is said to command ₹350 to ₹400 a kg at supermarkets in metropolitan cities.