Tomato Price: Indian Government Offers Discounted Tomatoes To Alleviate Soaring Prices

To address the significant increase in tomato prices, the Indian government has implemented measures to provide relief to consumers by offering discounted tomatoes at various locations across the country. The task of selling these discounted tomatoes through mobile vans has been assigned to the national cooperative consumers' federation (NCCF) and the national agricultural cooperative marketing federation (NAFED). The discounted prices became effective starting from Friday.

Rohit Kumar Singh, the secretary of the department of consumer affairs, tweeted about the discounted sale of tomatoes in Delhi on July 15, with plans for finalizing locations in Noida. Additionally, the sale is scheduled to begin in Lucknow and Kanpur from July 15 with 15 mobile vans each, starting from 11 am.

The eligible locations for purchasing discounted tomatoes include various areas in Delhi-NCR, such as Faridabad, Gurugram, Greater Kailash Part 1, Dwarka, and many others. In Lucknow, locations like Bhootnath Market, Gole Market, and Kaiser Bagh are included.

The NCCF has announced that tomatoes will be available at a discounted price of ₹90 per kilogram in these locations. The current tomato prices in the country have reached alarming levels, with an average nationwide price of ₹117 per kilogram, as reported by the department of consumer affairs. Prices quoted in different cities are even higher, such as ₹178/kg in Delhi, ₹150/kg in Mumbai, ₹132/kg in Chennai, and ₹100/kg in Ranchi.

Experts predict that tomato prices may continue to rise and could potentially reach ₹300 per kilogram in the coming weeks. Various factors contribute to the fluctuation in tomato prices, including the traditional peak harvesting season from December to February, during which the output is high. However, during July-August and October-November, tomato production is typically low. This year, the impact has been particularly severe, leading to scarcity and subsequent price hikes.

The majority of domestic tomato production comes from the southern and western regions, contributing around 56%-58% of the total output. These regions supply tomatoes to other markets based on production seasons. Unfortunately, the monsoon season in July coincides with low production, resulting in disruptions in the supply chain and increased transit losses, further driving up prices.