NCCF, NAFED to sell tomatoes at retail price of Rs 40 per kg from August 20

New Delhi [India], August 18 : The Department of Consumer Affairs has directed the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) to sell tomatoes at a retail price of Rs 40 per kg from August 20, 2023, in view of the continued decline in tomato prices in the wholesale and retail markets.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said that "The retail sale of tomatoes in Delhi-NCR by NCCF and NAFED began on July 14 at a subsidised price of Rs 90 per kg, which was reduced to Rs 80 per kg on July 16 and then to Rs 70 per kg on July 20. To date, the two organizations have acquired approximately 15 lakh kg of tomatoes, as per the official information."
"The retail sale of tomatoes in Delhi-NCR started on July 14, 2023. To date, over 15 lakh kg of tomatoes had been procured by the two agencies which are being continuously disposed of to the retail consumers in major consumption centres in the country. These locations include Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan (Jaipur, Kota), Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj) and Bihar (Patna, Muzaffarpur, Arrah, Buxar)," it added. 
It may be recalled that on the direction of the Department of Consumer Affairs, NCCF and NAFED had commenced the procurement of tomatoes from mandis in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra for simultaneous disposal in major consumption centres where retail prices have recorded the maximum increase in the last one month, the Ministry stated. 
Notably, the rise in tomato and other vegetable prices was reflected in the June and July retail inflation data.
Over the past few weeks, the people of State and UT have been grappling with an unprecedented escalation in the cost of tomatoes, a staple in many households across the state. The price surge has been attributed to various factors, including supply chain disruptions, climatic conditions, and other market dynamics.