1. After record highs, tomato prices crash to ₹10 per kg in Karnataka wholesale markets
The prices of tomatoes that had touched nearly ₹200 per kg in July have crashed to below ₹10 per kg in the Kolar and Kalasipalyam wholesale markets on September 6. In retail stores in Bengaluru, prices are in the range of ₹15-₹20 per kg, and are expected to come down to ₹10 by the weekend. This has left farmers staring at severe losses.
There have been several instances of tomatoes being unsold in auctions and being dumped on the streets by angry farmers in Kolar, the second largest tomato market in Asia. Kolar served as the lifeline for tomatoes for almost the whole of India between May and July when the crop had failed everywhere else. In the first week of July, a box of 15 kg of tomatoes sold at a record ₹2,200 while the price was in the range of ₹100 - ₹150 per box on September 6.
2. Mango exports via KIA Bengaluru airport grow by 124% in 2023
Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru has recorded a 124% increase in mango exports compared to the previous year. Particularly noteworthy is the thriving export of mangoes to the United States this year to Dallas Fort Worth, Washington D.C., and San Francisco, among other places.
In 2023, the airport processed export of 6,84,648 kg of mangoes, showcasing a significant rise from the 3,05,521 kg exported in the previous year. Furthermore, this season’s exports saw an 86% increase in the number of pieces, with approximately 17 lakh pieces of mangoes being exported.
3. Guard helps 4 POCSO victims flee rehabilitation centre in Kerala, tracked down to Udupi Railway Station
Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel tracked down four teenagers — victims as per POCSO Act aged 16, 17, 18 and 19 — who had run away from a rehabilitation centre near Kannur in Kerala with a 25-year-old woman security guard. The RPF personnel, attached to Udupi Railway Station of the Konkan Railway Corporation, found the girls in Udupi.
The girls decided to run away as they claimed to have some issue about using mobile phones. The woman security guard had paid for their train tickets and also bought them a new mobile phone. They were planning to go to Mumbai in search of jobs.
4. Pain clinic at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru inaugurated
To cater to patients with acute and chronic pain, such as cancer pain, musculoskeletal pain, spine-related pain and joint pain, a pain clinic was inaugurated at the State-run Victoria Hospital, affiliated to Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), in Bengaluru.
The clinic that will be managed by the Department of Anesthesia will function from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The clinic had started accepting patients since June 17 and has so far treated 200 patients.
5. Mysuru reconnected to coastal Karnataka with extension of Bengaluru-Mangaluru express train to Murdeshwar
After a gap of three years, Mysuru will finally be reconnected to coastal Karnataka by train with the Railway Ministry’s approval for extension of Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru (SMVT)-Mangaluru Central Express via Mysuru till Murudeshwar in Uttara Kannada district.
The Ministry also approved running the train every day instead of six days a week. The train is expected to run on its existing route with a slight change in the timing between SMVT and Mangaluru Central railway station.
