10 Tonnes Of Tomatoes Imported From Nepal To Be Sold In Uttar Pradesh At Subsidised Rate: NCCF

This is for the first time India is importing tomatoes due to surging prices. Tomato prices have risen due to supply chain disruptions caused by heavy rains. 

On Friday, tomato prices shot up to as high as Rs 242 per kg.

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To contain the rising tomato prices, the government cooperative NCCF is importing about 10 tonnes of tomatoes from Nepal and it will be distributed in Uttar Pradesh during the weekend at a subsidised rate of Rs 70 per kg. A top official of the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF) told PTI that Imports are being undertaken by traders. About 10 tonnes of tomatoes are under transit. 

The news agency in its report noted that this is for the first time India is importing tomatoes due to surging prices. On Friday, tomato prices shot up to as high as Rs 242 per kg. Tomato prices have risen due to supply chain disruptions caused by heavy rains. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday told Parliament that India has started importing tomatoes from Nepal amid a record-high spike in prices.

The government last month directed the NCCF and NAFED to procure tomatoes from wholesale markets in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra and distribute them in major consumption centers where retail prices have seen significant increases in the past month. Initially, it sold the commodity at Rs 90 per kg and now selling at Rs 70 per kg in these three states.

As per the report on Friday, NCCF has so far sold 9,38,862 kg of tomatoes in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

The NCCF has also announced a large-scale tomato sale in Delhi-NCR on August 12 and 13 ahead of Independence day. NCCF vans will go across 70 assembly constituencies in Delhi and 15 chosen spots in Noida/Greater Noida, as per the report. 

To facilitate online sales, NCCF has collaborated with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform, offering tomatoes at Rs 70 per kg with no delivery charges in Delhi/NCR. Additionally, the online sale will be doubled over the weekend, according to an official statement.

Nepal Govt Wants To Export Tomatoes To India For Long-Term Basis

The Nepal government wants to export tomatoes to India on a larger scale, but it requires improved market access and necessary infrastructure for this purpose, Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Shabnam Shivakoti told PTI on Friday. She also noted that the Himalayan country has already started exporting tomatoes to India through official channels a week ago. 

Arrangements are yet to be made for large-scale export of tomatoes, she added.

Binaya Shrestha, Deputy Director at Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board told the news agency that Tomatoes are extensively farmed in the Kathmandu Valley's three districts—Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur—yielding surplus supply to meet local needs. Some of the tomatoes grown in Kathmandu are unofficially being exported to India. 

The report noted that around six weeks ago, due to a lack of market demand, farmers discarded around 60,000 to 70,000 kg of tomatoes on the streets near Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market in Kathmandu. Back then, the wholesale market offered a meager Rs 10 per kg for tomatoes. However, prices escalated fourfold a month ago when traders started illicitly exporting tomatoes to India, causing local shortages. 

The retail price surged from Rs 40-50 per kg to Rs 200 to 250 per kg as farmers began supplying tomatoes to India via unofficial channels, according to Badri Shrestha, a tomato grower and supplier in Kathmandu, the report said. Selling through these channels enables them to fetch up to 150 Nepali Rupees per kg. Last month, daily unofficial exports to India ranged from 70,000 kg to 90,000 kg, revealed Badri, who cultivates 2,000 to 3,000 kg of tomatoes every other day from his farm in Lalitpur district near Kathmandu during the vegetable season.