Dubai expat flies to India with 10kg tomatoes in suitcase amidst rising prices back home

Amidst rising prices of tomatoes in parts of India, a mother has made what could be the most practical request to her daughter who lives in Dubai: Bring home 10kg of tomatoes, please.

The Dubai resident was travelling home to India for her children's summer holidays, and so her mum grabbed the opportunity to ask for something considered highly valuable these days in the South Asian country, according to the expat's sister who shared the anecdote on Twitter.

“My sister is coming to India from Dubai for her children's summer holidays, and she asked my mum if she wanted anything from Dubai and my mother said bring 10 kilos of tomatoes. And so now she has packed 10kg tomatoes in a suitcase and sent it,” Twitter user Revs wrote.

The dutiful daughter brought 10kg of tomatoes as requested — but how exactly did she do it? Revs revealed how the tomatoes were transported.

“Apparently she put it in big Pearlpet dabbas (boxes) and put the dabbas in a suitcase and brought them,” she revealed in a following tweet.

Going viral

The amusing story quickly went viral, capturing the attention of the Twitterverse. Many then started asking questions on storage, usage, and customs rules. The tweet currently has more than 52,000 views.

When one user asked how they would store the tomatoes that usually have a shelf life of just two to five days, Revs replied that as a family, they use a “ridiculous amount” of it. The 10kg package, she added, would easily be made into pickles and chutneys, among other things.

Another netizen pointed out that her sister was a “saint of a daughter” while Twitter user Nayantara Bagla said: “Best daughter award might be going in that direction for these times of inflation.”

The cost of tomatoes in parts of India has been rocketing over the last few weeks with prices touching Rs300 (approximately Dh15) per kg in some places. Widely used in the country's traditional cuisine, especially in curries, tomato is a staple in Indian households. The price rise has caused a strain on the monthly budgets of many families in the country.

Another Dubai resident Bushra, who is currently in Maharashtra for holidays, said the prices of tomatoes had prompted her family to come up with creative ways to cook. "My mother is now using tomato paste instead of tomatoes in curries," she said.

Is it legal to take tomatoes home?

According to an advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in the UAE, plants and their produce — like fruits and seeds — are classified as restricted goods and are subject to certain conditions. However, these conditions have not been specified.

This isn’t the first time that UAE residents have tried transporting fruits and vegetables to their home countries. Earlier this year, when the prices of onions rose exponentially in the Philippines, many Filipinos took bags of it back home when travelling.

ALSO READ:

• Indian farmer becomes millionaire as tomato prices skyrocket, earns Rs30 million in a month

• From hiring security to smartphone offers: How Indian vendors are dealing with a 288% surge in tomato prices

• Why Indian farmers worry despite 'average' monsoon rains

• UAE
• Newsletters
• Dubai
• India