Govt sells tomatoes at Rs 80 a kg from today through NAFED, NCCF
In an effort to curb the soaring prices of tomatoes and bring some kind relief to the common man, the Centre will sell the staple food item, the tomatoes, at a further discounted rate of ₹80 per kg from Sunday (July 16) as against ₹90 per kg earlier.
On Friday, the Centre started to sell tomatoes at a discounted rate of ₹90 per kg in Delhi-NCR through mobile vans. More cities were added on Saturday. The prices of tomatoes had risen so much that it had gone up to ₹120 and mroe a kg.
“There has been a decrease in the wholesale prices of tomatoes due to the intervention of the government to sell it at a concessional rate of ₹90 per kg, at several locations in the country where the prices were ruling exceptionally high,” an official statement said.
“After a re-assessment of the situation from across 500 plus points in the country, it has been decided to sell it at ₹80 per kg from today Sunday July 16th, 2023,” it added.
Also watch: Tomato prices shoot up above Rs 80 | The Federal
According to a statement released by the consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, the wholesale prices of tomatoes have been cut after the government decided to intervene and ensure tomatoes are sold at concessional rate of ₹ 90 per kg, especially at places where it was being sold at high prices. These tomatoes will be sold through two cooperatives—the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).
Sales of tomatoes have started today at several points each in Delhi, Noida, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Patna, Muzaffarpur and Arrah through NAFED and NCCF, he said adding that it will be expanded to more cities from tomorrow depending upon the prevailing market prices at such locations. “Government of India is committed to provide relief to the consumers,” he asserted.
When the all-India average retail price of tomato tripled to over ₹100 per kg, the Centre swung into action on Wednesday, and directed the NAFED and NCCF to immediately procure tomatoes from mandis in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. They will be simultaneously distributed in major consumption centres where retail prices have recorded maximum increase in the last one month.
