Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday that tomatoes will be sold for Rs 70/kg in Delhi-NCR amid concerns about rising prices.
She said the National Cooperative Confederation of Consumers of India (NCCF) will conduct a subsidized sale of tomatoes in Delhi-NCR later this week to help alleviate the situation.
Sitharaman said tomatoes sourced from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, will be distributed through cooperative associations such as NCCF and NAFED.
This approach has been rolled out in Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan since 14 July. In addition, mobile vans in Delhi act as NCCF and NAFED outlets. Also, to solve this problem, India has started importing tomatoes from Nepal by lifting import restrictions, she added.
It can be noted that tomato prices have spiked in the past week, with reports that the kitchen staple could cross the Rs300 mark per kg.
As reported by wholesalers, one of the main reasons for the increase in tomato prices is due to supply disruptions due to heavy rains in the main production areas.Â
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