Maharashtra farmer loses 400 kg of tomatoes to theft

A farmer in Maharashtra’s Pune district has approached the police, alleging theft of 400 kg of tomatoes, whose prices have skyrocketed across the country in recent weeks, an official said on Friday.

The farmer told the police that he lost nearly Rs 20,000 due to the theft.

The red, juicy kitchen staple is selling between Rs 100 and Rs 200 a kilo in several states.

Complainant Arun Dhome told the police that he harvested tomatoes from his farm on Sunday and brought the vegetables to his home in Shirur tehsil in a vehicle with the help of labourers.

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Dhome said he had planned to sell the tomatoes in the market.

However, when Dhome woke up on Monday morning, he discovered 20 crates of the precious vegetable weighing 400 kg missing.

“After realising that his tomatoes had been stolen, Dhome approached the Shirur police station and lodged a complaint,” said the official.

A senior official from the police station said they have registered a case and are probing the matter.

Another farmer from the Pune district recently hit national headlines for selling 18,000 crates of tomatoes for Rs 3 crore.