Officials let go vehicles smuggling tomatoes from Nepal, all suspended

Gorakhpur: The police at the Indo-Nepal border seized two carts transporting tomatoes to India, India Today reported on Wednesday.

Authorities have intercepted the smuggling of berries and sent them over to the Indian Customs Office, however officials there allegedly freed the smugglers in exchange of money.

In swift action, all officials of the customs office were suspended, according to the report.

Prices of tomato are soaring in India, which made households to use them in curries only frugally.

Despite peaking prices, import of the vegetables from Nepal has been banned, the report said.

Obviously, transporting tomatoes to India at this point must be lucrative for smugglers as tomatoes are sold at Rs 60 kg in Nepal.

In India prices often rose upwards of Rs 150 per kg, which made the Centre to sell subsidized tomatoes in Delhi neighbourhoods.

A recent CCTV footage showed two carts ferrying the vegetables across the Nepal border; however, officials let go the smugglers for money.

Erratic weather patterns stemming from climate change have disrupted farming, causing prices to jack up across the country.

Now that a sparsely falling monsoon followed by extreme summer heat have further disrupted agriculture, prices are likely to further climb in the coming months.

The government already put export ban on rice excluding basmati in view of a poor harvesting season ahead.

Rising prices of vegetables and poor farming could dent India’s hopes to stay afloat recent economic boom.