Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that the prices of tomato have been on a rise. As per data released by consumer affairs ministry, tomato prices in metros were ruling at Rs95/kg in Kolkata, Rs92/kg in Delhi, Rs80/kg in Mumbai and Rs55/kg in Chennai on July 29. While the prices are expected to come down in a fortnight, members of the Congress party in Lucknow decided to hold a unique protest against the rising prices.

According to ANI, the opposition opened a bank called the State Bank of Tomato in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. “I have deposited 0.5 Kg tomatoes, will get 1 kg after 6 months. I’m 103-year-old, never thought have to see this,” said Srikrishna Verma, one of the customers at the ‘bank’

ANI shared a copy of the ‘bank’s “attractive offers”, which claimed a 5x return on tomatoes deposited within six months, among other provisions like ‘lockers for the tomatoes’, ’80 per cent loans on tomatoes’ and ‘attractive interest rates for depositing tomatoes, especially for the poor’.

Almost like a staged parody of how a bank works, the ‘bank’ will operate from 10am to 5pm, according to a report by Times of India. While this could be seen as satirical, buyers and sellers are having a bad time due to the spike in rates.

The prices of the basic vegetable has skyrocketed in the recent past, owing to the inconsistent supply of rainfall throughout the country. While tomatoes’ prices are touching the sky, onions’ have risen too.