A 445% price jump makes tomatoes more pricey than gasoline in India
tomato prices are soaring due to adverse weather, triggering a wave of social media memes comparing the cost of the essential ingredient with anything from petrol to political influence. Heavy rains in some growing areas and hotter-than normal temperatures last month hit output of the crop, causing a fivefold increase in prices this year. Tomatoes usually become expensive in the lean production months of June and July, but the impact this year has been exaggerated.
Tomatoes and onions are so emotive in the world’s most-populous nation that a surge in prices can trigger protests. Indeed some ruling political parties in India lost elections because they couldn’t control the price of onions, which along with tomatoes are an essential element of mainstay dishes. High food prices could also hobble the central bank’s efforts to drive economic growth and keep inflation under control.
Social media in India is abuzz with tomato-related memes. One shows tomatoes racing ahead of petrol and diesel, while another says get a free iPhone with every kilogram of tomatoes. In a reference to a key opposition leader and other lawmakers joining the ruling alliance in Maharashtra — India’s wealthiest state led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party — a YouTube video joked that buying politicians was cheaper than purchasing tomatoes.
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