Tomato prices have recently shot up in the markets across the country from Rs 10-20 per kg to a price of Rs 80-100 per kg. The reason behind this is the dip in supply due to heatwaves in tomato-growing areas and heavy rain.
Ajay Kedia, a Mumbai-based commodity market expert and head of Kedia Advisory said, "This year, for a variety of reasons, fewer tomatoes were sown than in prior years. As the price of beans surged last year, many farmers switched to growing beans this year. However, a lack of monsoon rains has caused the crops to dry out and wilt. The limited supply of vegetables, particularly tomatoes are due to crop damage caused by heavy rainfall and extreme heat."
People didn't take long to create memes on the topic after the news became widely known on Twitter. The tweets were numerous and included anything from Nana Patekar's famous 'aloo lelo' line from the film Welcome to the humorous Phir Hera Pheri templates. Social media users churned out hilarious memes to keep calm after looking at the high tomato prices.