Andhra Pradesh: Pulivendula bananas, Madanapalle tomatoes dot Vizag markets

Visakhapatnam: On Sunday, bananas from Pulivendula and tomatoes from Madanapalle find their way to Visakhapatnam markets. The kitchen staples arrived at Rythu Bazaars ofVasu Potnurufered relief to consumers amid lockdown.

According to Marketing officials, at present, 20 tonnes of tomatoes were sourced from Madanapalle, 24 tonnes of bananas arrived from Pulivendula at Visakhapatnam.

Denizens were more than happy to bring home a kg of Madanapalle tomatoes for Rs 14 and Pulivendula bananas at Rs 10 a kg from Rythu Bazaars.

However, in retail outlets, a kilo of bananas was priced at Rs 40 to Rs 50. "At a time when we have to wait in long queues to carry home essential commodities, the newly sourced bananas offer relief as they are not only good in quality but also taste good," says P Deepak Kumar, a resident of Gopalapatnam.

Special focus on red zones

Some of the areas have been declared as red zones in the city as the residents in the area tested positive for coronavirus. This has led to shifting of a couple of Rythu Bazaars located close to such neighbourhoods to a new location.

Kancharapalem Rythu Bazaar has been shifted to Polytechnic College grounds from Sunday as the area has been marked as red zone. Similarly, a temporary Rythu Bazaar at Thatichetlapalem was shifted to a primary school campus at NGGO's Colony.

In order to make commodities accessible to consumers amid lockdown, the Department of Marketing has taken up measures to provide vegetables through mobile vans. About 51 mobile Rythu Bazaars were introduced to reach out to the consumers at various colonies. At present, 145 Rythu Bazaars are made available for the denizens, comprising 13 Rythu Bazaars, 81 temporary Rythu Bazaars and 51 mobile Rythu Bazaars.