Marketing officials start buying tomatoes: TDP

Kurnool: Assistant Director of Marketing (ADM) Sathyanarayana Choudhary told The Hans India here on Saturday that the farmers had sold around 100 tonnes of tomatoes after the sale of the produce was resumed in the Marketing Yard.

He said the Marketing Department toohad purchased around 80 quintals as part of the government's intervention to stabilise the price of tomatoes. The tomatoes purchased had been sent to Adoni and Tirupati Rythu Bazaars. The government had purchased the produce at the rate of 600 a quintal.

On learning about the price crash, former Deputy Chief Minister KE Krishna Murthy accompanied by his son KE Shyam Babu visited Pathikonda Agriculture Market Yard and interacted with the tomato growers. He came down heavily on the ruling government and alleged that the Chief Minister had failed to come to the rescue of farmers.

He recalled that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy assured the farmers of all help. He demanded that the government purchase the produce at a minimum support price of Rs 10 a kg.