Tomato prices cooling down with fresh arrival; retail prices in range of Rs 50-70 per kg now: Govt

New Delhi: The government on Monday said tomato prices have fallen to Rs 50-70 per kilogramme with arrival of fresh crops in retail markets and it will continue to sell tomatoes at a discounted rate till rates come down to a normal level.

Tomato prices had skyrocketed to as high as Rs 250 per kg in the retail markets across the country due to unseasonal rains. "Tomato prices are ruling in the range of Rs 50-70 per kg in retail markets across the country at present," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh told PTI.

Prices have started cooling down with increase in arrival of the fresh crop in states like Madhya Pradesh, he added. On sale of tomatoes at a subsidised rates, the secretary said the government will sell the commodity at the discounted prices in select states till the retail prices come to normalcy. Cooperatives NCCF and NAFED have started selling tomatoes at a reduced rate of Rs 40 per kilogramme since August 20 amid declining price of the kitchen staple in wholesale and retail markets.

Since last month, the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) have been selling tomatoes at a discounted rate on behalf of the Consumer Affairs Ministry to contain the price rise. Initially, the subsidised rate was fixed at Rs 90 per kilogramme which had been successively reduced in line with the decline in prices in order to ensure benefits to the consumers. Tomatoes have been imported from Nepal as well to boost domestic supply and bring down the price