As tomato prices often go up to Rs 250/kg, the center sells tomatoes in Delhi-NCR and Patna for Rs 90/kg

The Center started selling tomatoes on Friday in Delhi-NCR and Patna at a reduced price of Rs 90 per kg, and it will begin retailing in Lucknow and Kanpur on Saturday in an effort to relieve customers from the increasing price of tomatoes.

On behalf of the Center, tomatoes are being sold through the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).

Due to the lean season and frequent rainfall, the retail price of tomatoes has been rising rapidly over the last several weeks and was reaching as high as Rs 244 per kg on Friday throughout major cities.

Mobile vans are used to sell tomatoes at a reduced price to customers in Patna and Delhi-NCR.

“We will begin selling reduced tomatoes in Lucknow and Kanpur tomorrow. There, too, we suggest using the same approach. Rohit Kumar Singh, the union secretary for consumer affairs, told PTI that there were 15 mobile vans in Lucknow and 15 in Kanpur.

He said 20 places in Delhi-NCR would have mobile vans.

“Up until the evening, 17,000 kg of tomatoes had been sold, or almost 80%. Beginning tomorrow, we will expand our reach and our capacity across Delhi-NCR, NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra told PTI.

She said that there was a line to purchase the cheap tomatoes in certain locations and that the reaction was positive.

In places like Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Pusa Road, CGO Complex, Nehru Place, Govind Lal Shika Marg, Adarsh Nagar, JJ Slum in Wazirpur, and Dhodhapur Shivmandir, around 20 mobile vans were sent.

Three mobile vehicles were sent to Noida Sector 78 and Pari Chowk, which is close to Greater Noida, she said.

“We are selling tomatoes of ‘A’ grade export quality,” said Chandra. From tomorrow, the amount will climb to more than 20,000 kg. She said, “Till the prices stabilise, the discount sale of tomatoes will continue.” On Sunday, NCCF will also begin selling tomatoes via the 100 or so Kendra Bhandar locations in the nation’s capital. She said, “NCCF is also in discussions with Mother Dairy regarding the sale of tomatoes at reduced prices through their 400+ Safal retail outlets in Delhi-NCR.”

On the other side, in Patna, Bihar, NAFED also started selling tomatoes at a reduced price of Rs 90 per kg.

Twenty tonnes of tomatoes were delivered by truck to Patna today. There, we are selling for a predetermined price set by the government of Rs 90 per kilogram, according to NAFED Chairman Bijendra Singh.

The cooperative purchased tomatoes from the Andhra Pradesh district of Chittoor for Rs 115 per kg. “To carry tomatoes to Patna, it would cost a total of Rs 121 per kg. Due to cartage and other factors, an additional cost of around Rs 6 per kilogram is incurred, he added.

The federal government is responsible for the losses.

According to official statistics, on Friday, the average tomato retail price throughout all of India was Rs 116.76 per kg, with the top price being Rs 244 per kg and the lowest being Rs 40 per kg.

On Thursday, tomatoes were the most expensive food item in metro areas, costing Rs 178 per kg in Delhi, Rs 147 per kg in Mumbai, Rs 145 per kg in Kolkata, and Rs 132 per kg in Chennai.

The months of July through August and October through November, which are typically months of low output, are when tomato prices often soar.

The monsoon’s impact on supply has produced a dramatic increase in prices.