By Manoj Kumar Ojha
GUWAHATI: The Baby is cute, red, affordable and tasty too.
We are talking about Baby tomatoes. At the time when urban vegetable market witnessing steep rise in prices with tomatoes Rupees 200 per kilogram. The baby tomatoes are sold at Rs 20 per kilogram.
Baby tomatoes are called “kon bilahi ” in Assamese language. It is smaller in size but the taste is not lesser than regular tomatoes.
In the weekly markets of the state which are not out of rich from the village vegetables vendors and farmers; it is easily available. Fortunately, the incessant rain also can not destroy these baby tomato plants.
Besides, the leafy vegetables sourced from the local forests and river side is also available at the affordable prices between Rs 10 to 20 per kilogram.
A row has started on the steep rise in prices of vegetables due to flood , erosion, destruction of vegetable crops, greed of vegetable wholesalers and retailers and of course rapidly shrinking cultivation land.
It may be mentioned here that Kharupetia in Darrang district supplies the majorities of Guwahati’s daily requirements for vegetables and additionally supplied by Goalpara, Nalbari ,Barpera and Morigaon.
Amid all this , Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the prices of vegetables are witnessing a surge in Guwahati because most of the sellers are from the “Miya” Community.