Here comes a piece of good news for the tomato consumers. The Central government on Friday launched the subsidised retail sale price of tomatoes in the range of Rs 47-60 per kg in the national capital through the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF), to provide relief to buyers.
The consumer affairs ministry said the NCCF, which has been procuring tomatoes from Azadpur mandi since August 4, is retailing them with minimal margins. "To date, NCCF has sold 27,307 kilograms of tomatoes at retail prices ranging from Rs 47 to Rs 60 per kg, depending on the procurement cost," the ministry stated.
Average retail price of tomatoes in Delhi at Rs 73 per kg
Consumers must note that the current average retail price of tomatoes in Delhi at Rs 73 per kg is primarily due to heavy rainfall in northern and north-western regions since the last week of July.
"This weather-related disruption caused prices to spike to as high as Rs 85 per kg by the end of July," the ministry said in a statement.
However, with the recovery and stabilisation of daily arrivals at Azadpur mandi over the past week, both mandi and retail prices have begun to decline.
The retail prices at various centres across the country are influenced by temporary localised factors rather than any fundamental demand-supply imbalance or production shortfall, the ministry noted.
In contrast, major cities such as Chennai and Mumbai, which have not experienced abnormal weather conditions in recent weeks, have not witnessed a similar price surge.
Check average retail price of tomatoes in other cities
The current average retail prices in Chennai and Mumbai are Rs 50 per kg and Rs 58 per kg, respectively — substantially lower than Delhi's prevailing price.
At present, the all-India average retail price of tomato is Rs 52 per kg, which is lower than Rs 54 per kg last year and Rs 136 per kg in 2023. Unlike previous years, prices of major vegetables like potato, onion and tomato are under control this monsoon season, the ministry said.
With inputs from PTI
