Top government officials on Thursday said that the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) will start selling tomatoes at discounted rates in Delhi-NCR from Friday. Speaking to the news agency PTI, the official said that NCCF's mobile vans in Delhi-NCR will sell tomatoes for Rs 90/kg to provide relief to the consumers.
The central government on Wednesday directed cooperative NCCF and NAFED to procure tomatoes from producing states and sell them in areas suffering from record-high prices. There has been a sharp rise in the retail prices of the essential kitchen staple reaching up to Rs 224 per kg in some parts of the country.
Additionally, as per the PTI report, top officials said that in Noida, tomatoes will be sold at the NCCF office at Rajnigandha Chowk and also through mobile vans in Greater Noida and other locations. In cities such as Lucknow, Kanpur, and Jaipur the sale of discounted tomatoes will start during the weekend.
"NCCF will start selling tomatoes at a discounted rate of Rs 90/kg from tomorrow. A good quantity of supplies has been procured from the producing centres," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh told the news agency. Adding that the Centre is subsidising tomatoes by more than 30 per cent from the prevailing market rates to provide relief to the consumers.
As per the report, NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra, elaborating on the operation, said, "We have fixed the price at Rs 90 per kg, while the procurement rate is Rs 120-130 per kg. The losses will be absorbed by the central government.
According to NCCF Managing Director, in Delhi, NCCF will start the sale on Friday morning at 11 AM in all 11 districts through 30 mobile vans. About 17,000 kg of tomatoes will be sold on the first day. On Saturday, NCCF plans to sell about 20,000 kg of tomatoes and the quantity will be increased to 40,000 per day as the sale picks up.
"Mobile vans will be despatched in locations wherever the access is possible. The number of mobile vans will be increased depending on access and response," Joseph Chandra said, as some parts of Delhi are suffering from the flood.
Once the water level recedes in some places, the NCCF will examine the situation and initiate the sale of tomatoes, she added, as per the report.
According to Joseph Chandra, the cooperative will also offer discounted tomatoes at their Noida office in Rajnigandha Chowk. Additionally, they will utilise mobile vans to sell tomatoes in Greater Noida and other locations. Starting from Saturday, the number of mobile vans will be increased to reach more areas.
Furthermore, she said that the NCCF is in discussions with Mother Dairy to collaborate on selling tomatoes at discounted rates through their Safal retail outlets in the national capital.
She further said that the first shipment of tomatoes from Madanapalli, Andhra Pradesh is scheduled to arrive during the night.
The consumer affairs secretary told the news agency that NAFED will also start the sale of tomatoes at discounted rates in other cities in the next 2-3 days.
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According to reports, traditionally, tomato prices tend to increase during the months of July-August and October-November, which are typically characterised by low production. However, this year, the prices have surged significantly due to disruptions in the supply chain caused by the monsoon season.
According to the PTI report, which cited government data, the average all-India retail price of tomatoes was around Rs 114.72 per kg on Thursday, while the maximum rate was Rs 224 per kg and the minimum was Rs 40 per kg. Tomato prices in major metropolitan cities on Thursday were higher, with Delhi topping the list at Rs 168 per kg, followed by Mumbai at Rs 160 per kg, Kolkata at Rs 143 per kg, and Chennai at Rs 132 per kg.