Nepal is prepared to provide tomatoes to India and wants simpler market access

To stop the prices from spiking, Nepal is prepared to sell tomatoes to India in large quantities on a long-term basis, but it has requested simple access to the market and other required infrastructure.

The pledge from the neighboring nation came after India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed Parliament on Thursday that the government had begun importing tomatoes from Nepal due to a record-high rise in costs.

 

Due to high retail costs of around Rs 242 per kg and supply problems brought on by severe rains, India is importing tomatoes for the first time.

 

According to Shabnam Shivakoti, a spokeswoman for the agriculture ministry, India must make it simple for Nepal to access its market and other facilities in order for Nepal to export commodities, like tomatoes, on a long-term basis.

 

Although Nepal began exporting tomatoes to India via authorized routes a week ago, she noted that the country is only doing so in small amounts. She stated that plans have not yet been established for the large-scale export of tomatoes.

 

Binaya Shrestha, Deputy Director at the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board, echoed her sentiments when she stated, “Nepal can export vast amounts of tomatoes to India if we are given easy access to the Indian market.

 

“India is a good market for Nepalese tomatoes,” he said.

 

He said that the three districts of Kathmandu Valley—Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur—grow tomatoes in plenty, more than enough to supply local demand.

 

According to Shrestha, some of the tomatoes cultivated in Kathmandu are exported via unauthorized ways to the Indian market.

 

Approximately one and a half months ago, farmers in Kathmandu discarded 60,000–70,000 kg of tomatoes on the streets close to Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market after they were unable to find a market for their goods. In the wholesale market at the time, farmers were unable to earn even Rs. 10 per kg of tomatoes.

 

However, a month ago, dealers began illegally shipping tomatoes to India, creating shortages on the local market, which caused the market price of tomatoes to surge by four times.

 

According to Badri Shrestha, one of the main producers and suppliers of tomatoes in Kathmandu, the tomato, which was sold in the retail market for Rs 40–50 per kg, rose to Rs 200–250 per kg when farmers began exporting tomatoes to the Indian market via unauthorised routes.

 

“After our items are shipped to India via unauthorized means, we may recoup up to NRs 150 per kilogram. According to Badri, who plants 2,000 to 3,000 kg of tomatoes every other day from his farm in Lalitpur district close to Kathmandu during the vegetable season, 70,000 to 90,000 kg of tomatoes were shipped to India on a daily basis last month via unlawful methods.

 

He said that 40,000 kg of tomatoes cultivated on his property over the course of the previous month were illegally transferred to India. Agriculture Minister Beduram Bhushal and Indian colleague Narendra Singh Tomar had conversations about easing the import of Nepalese agricultural goods, notably tomatoes, during Bhushal’s most recent trip to India in July.

 

According to Shivakoti, a spokeswoman for the agricultural ministry, Nepal has also requested that Indian authorities set up quarantine and other facilities for the export of tomatoes, peas, and green peppers.

 

The Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Control Office (PQPCO) of the Nepali government must grant certifications to the exporters before they may bring vegetables into India.

 

According to Tapendra Prasad Bohara, deputy spokesman for the agricultural ministry, Nepal exported tomatoes via one of its two border crossings, which is located in Birtamode, during the previous week.

 

According to him, the Government of India has already included various Nepalese-produced vegetables, including tomatoes, to its quarantine list in order to expedite their shipment to India.

 

Anice Joseph Chandra, the managing director of National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF), said on Friday that approximately 10 tonnes of tomatoes that were imported from Nepal are currently in transit and will be distributed in Uttar Pradesh over the weekend at a subsidised rate of Rs 70 per kg.

 

To increase domestic supply and control pricing, the NCCF has been selling tomatoes at a reduced price on behalf of the federal government since July 11. In Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, NCCF has sold 9,38,862 kg of tomatoes thus far.