Amid soaring tomato prices, the Narendra Modi government has launched a country-wide initiative to sell the essential kitchen commodity at Rs 80 per kg, a reduction from the earlier rate of Rs 90 per kg, offering respite to Indian consumers.

The initiative by the Modi sarkar began on Friday, initially limited to Delhi-NCR via mobile vans, and expanded to additional cities on Saturday.

A government statement underscored that their intervention to sell tomatoes at a reduced price contributed to the decrease in wholesale rates, particularly in regions where prices were exceptionally high. Further assessment of over 500 data points across the country led to the decision to drop the price to Rs 80 per kg as of Sunday, July 16, 2023.

The discounted tomato sales have begun in several cities, including Delhi, Noida, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Patna, Muzaffarpur and Arrah, through the cooperatives National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation Of India (NCCF). The initiative will extend to more cities from Monday, factoring in the local market prices at those locations.

Nationwide, tomato prices have skyrocketed to Rs 250 per kg in retail markets due to the impact of monsoon rains and lean production periods. Government data reported the all-India average tomato price at nearly Rs 117 per kg on Saturday.

NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra, in a discussion with PTI, revealed that the tomatoes are sourced from Madanapalli in Andhra Pradesh, Kolar in Karnataka, and Sanganeri in Maharashtra. The NCCF, she shared, sold 35,000 kg of tomatoes in just two days, projecting sales of 20,000 kg in Delhi-NCR, and 10,000 kg each in Lucknow and Kanpur on Sunday.

Anice Joseph Chandra expressed confidence that the reduced price of Rs 80 per kg will further ease market prices in the coming days and affirmed their commitment to maintain the initiative until price stability is achieved. The NCCF currently sells tomatoes through mobile vans and several NAFED-owned outlets in Delhi-NCR, with plans to begin sales via Kendriya Bhandar retail outlets from Sunday.

  Anice Joseph Chandra, India, Narendra Modi, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India, National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation Of India, Tomato, Tomatoes