date:Apr 17, 2013
dishes from their menus, while others are turning to tubes of imported Italian puree.
Brazilians living near the southern border are smuggling tomatoes from neighbouring Argentina and Paraguay, a trend which has led to televised warnings from customs officials.
A kilogram of tomatoes now commands as much as $6.50 (4.24) at some Rio de Janeiro supermarkets - a hefty sum in a country where the minimum wage is just $339 a month.
While the price of a whole range of basic vegetables from carrots t