Amid soaring prices, the Centre's intervention paved way for sale of tomatoes at a reduced rate of Rs 80 per kg. The sale at the new price will be effective major cities like Delhi, Noida, Lucknow, Kanpur and Varanasi. Due to monsoon rains, the prices of the tomatoes had hit up to Rs 250 per kg across major cities.
According to an official notice, the government will sell tomatoes at Rs 80 per kg from Sunday.
Sales will be through the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NCCF).
"After a re-assessment of the situation from across 500 plus points in the country, it has been decided to sell it at Rs 80 per kg from Sunday...Sales have started today at several points each in Delhi, NOIDA, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Patna, Muzaffarpur, and Arrah through NAFED and NCCF. It will be expanded to more cities from tomorrow depending upon the prevailing market prices at such locations," an official statement said.
Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Rohit Kumar Singh took to Twitter that "Tomatoes are being sold by the central government in Delhi, NOIDA, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna, Muzaffarpur and Arrah. After reviewing the prices, it has been decided that it will be sold 80 ( eighty) rupees per kg @PMOIndia @PiyushGoyal @jagograhakjago from today, further reducing.”
Earlier Singh had said that sale of tomatoes will be made available through mobile vans in major cities from Saturday onward to provide breather from the high prices.
The all-India average price stood at nearly Rs 117 per kg, as per government data.
About 18,000 kgs were sold in Delhi-NCR on Saturday through mobile vans.
Among metros, tomatoes were ruling at Rs 178 per kg in Delhi, followed by Rs 150 per kg in Mumbai, and Rs 132 per kg in Chennai.
The maximum price of Rs 250 per kg was in Hapur.
As per the data compiled by the Department of Consumer Affairs, the average all-India retail price of tomatoes was ruling at Rs 116.86 per kg on Saturday, while the maximum rate was Rs 250 per kg and the minimum was Rs 25 per kg. Modal price of tomatoes is Rs 100 per kg.