Tomatoes To Be Sold At Rs 50 Per Kg In Delhi-NCR, Mumbai From Today: Check How And Where To Buy

The Indian government is selling tomatoes at a subsidized rate of Rs. 50/kg in Delhi and Mumbai from August 2 to provide relief from soaring prices due to supply disruptions.

In a big relief for consumers, the Central government is set to sell tomatoes at a subsidised rate of Rs 50 per kg from Friday in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai retail markets, as against Rs 60 per kg now to provide relief to the common man. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led union government launched the initiative to address the soaring tomato prices caused by supply disruptions due to heat waves and erratic rains in various states.

"Prices of tomatoes have come down after our intervention," said Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, announcing the government's decision on July 29. 

When The Sale Of Tomatoes At A Subsidised Rate Starts

According to Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare, the government will start selling tomatoes at Rs 50 per kg from Friday (August 2) in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai.

Where To Buy Tomatoes At Subsidised Rate 

The National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) is selling tomatoes through mobile vans. 

Consumer Affairs Secretary Khare said the ministry will consider roping in Mother Dairy to sell tomatoes through its Safal stores in the Delhi-NCR market.

In this case, the ministry has not utilised the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) as tomatoes were directly procured from mandis. The federation is procuring tomatoes from wholesale mandis and selling them at reasonable retail prices.

This move aims to ensure that profit margins remain reasonable at the retail level and prevent windfall gains to intermediaries and thereby protect the interests of consumers. 

Rising Tomato Prices

According to the Department of Consumer Affairs data, the all-India average price of tomatoes stood at Rs 61.74 per kg on July 31. In Delhi, the average price was Rs 70 per kg on Wednesday, according to a report by news agency PTI. 

Last month, the rates of tomatoes soared to more than Rs 100 per kg as supplies were hit due to heat waves followed by erratic rains in many producing states.

By this intervention, NCCF seeks to cool off price rises and maintain price stability in the market, benefiting consumers and promoting fair trade practices. This intervention demonstrates NCCF's commitment to protecting consumer interests and promoting a stable market ecosystem, the ministry had said.