New Delhi. The Center on Monday started selling tomatoes at a subsidized rate of Rs 65 per kg in the national capital to provide relief to the common man and curb abnormal profits earned by middlemen. Tomato is being sold at an average rate of Rs 90 per kg in the national capital. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare flagged off the van of National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India Limited (NCCF), which sells tomatoes at the rate of Rs 65 per kg.
Khare told reporters here, “We are trying to reduce the prices of tomatoes. “With this market intervention, tomato prices will come down in the next 3-4 days.” NCCF has initiated market intervention by purchasing tomatoes directly from the mandis and selling them at a subsidized rate of Rs 65 per kg. Mobile vans will sell tomatoes in 50 colonies of the national capital. According to the statement, this intervention has been done to protect consumers from the recent increase in tomato prices and to prevent middlemen from making windfall profits.
The Consumer Affairs Department said, “Despite continued good arrivals in the mandis, the retail price of tomatoes has increased significantly in recent weeks. “Quality concerns have arisen in recent weeks due to prolonged monsoon rains and high humidity in major producing states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.” It said that the possible role of market middlemen in the current price rise in this high demand festive season cannot be ruled out.
NCCF is also supplying onion at the rate of Rs 35 per kg from government buffer to retail consumers in major cities across the country. Khare also said that the department is importing pulses from Myanmar and peas from Australia. The average price of potato in the national capital is Rs 40 per kg and that of onion is Rs 58 per kg. According to government data, on Monday, the all India average price of potato was Rs 36.89 per kg, onion was Rs 54.36 per kg and tomato was Rs 64.72 per kg.