Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday launched a scheme to sell tomatoes at a subsidised rate of Rs 60 per kg in Delhi-NCR. This initiative aims to stabilise tomato prices and provide relief to the public amid rising costs.
Tomatoes will be available through National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) vans in Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram. This market intervention is part of the government’s effort to control escalating tomato prices in the retail sector.
During the launch event, Joshi explained that this measure was introduced to curb the increasing prices of tomatoes, particularly in major cities like Delhi. He mentioned, “Starting today, tomatoes will be sold at Rs 60 per kg”.
Currently, tomato prices in the national capital range between Rs 70 and Rs 100 per kg, depending on quality and location.
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Joshi also highlighted that the Centre has established a Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) to manage food price fluctuations and protect consumer interests. The PSF allows for the procurement of essential commodities directly from farmers, thus minimising costs and ensuring availability.
In this case, the PSF was not used because tomatoes were sourced directly from mandis. The initiative aims to reduce prices, stabilise the market, and offer tomatoes at a subsidised rate to consumers.
NCCF’s market intervention involves buying tomatoes from wholesale mandis and selling them at fair retail prices. This strategy is designed to keep profit margins reasonable at the retail level, avoid excessive gains for intermediaries, and safeguard consumer interests.
Overall, the intervention by NCCF is intended to mitigate price increases, maintain market stability, and promote fair trade practices, the official statement said. (With inputs from PTI)
