Amidst a surge in tomato prices that had left consumers reeling, the Indian government has taken decisive steps to alleviate the situation by importing tomatoes from Nepal and slashing the retail price of the vegetables. This move comes as retail inflation spiked to a 15-month high, driven by rising grocery and food prices, official data released on Monday showed.
Tomatoes, a staple ingredient in Indian cuisine, saw their average retail price plummet from a peak of Rs 250 per kilogram just a month ago to Rs 100 per kilogram, marking a significant relief for consumers. However, many still find the essential vegetable to be on the expensive side, comparing its cost to that of chicken.
In response to the soaring prices, the government facilitated the import of unspecified quantities of tomatoes from Nepal. The tomatoes, which are still en route, will be used to augment supplies in north Indian states, particularly Uttar Pradesh, one of the country’s largest consumers of the produce. The government’s intervention has also led to a reduction in the retail price of subsidised sales, which now stands at Rs 50 per kilogram.
To tackle the issue further, the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), two state-backed food agencies, have been instrumental in stabilizing tomato prices. They procured 1.5 million tonnes of tomatoes, which are being continuously sold at discounted rates across major consumption centers such as Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
Both NCCF and NAFED initially fixed the retail price of tomatoes at Rs 90 per kilogram. However, as wholesale prices began to ease, they progressively reduced the price to Rs 80 per kilogram on July 16 and further to Rs 70 per kilogram on July 10.
In an effort to make tomatoes more accessible to consumers, NCCF expanded its reach by deploying mobile vans at 70 locations throughout Delhi and 15 locations in Noida and Greater Noida, according to a statement issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs. The move aims to ensure that affordable tomatoes are easily available to consumers across the national capital region.
(Inputs from HT)
Haseena Ayoob is a regular contributor of The Chenab Times.