In a bid to alleviate rising tomato prices in the retail market, the Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Smt. Nidhi Khare flagged off National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) vans selling tomatoes at Rs 65 per kg here today.
NCCF has initiated a market intervention by directly procuring tomatoes from mandis and selling them at a subsidized rate of Rs.65 per kilogram. The intervention is to protect consumers from recent increase in tomato prices and prevent windfall gains for intermediaries. NCCF is also continuously supplying onions from the government buffer at Rs.35 per kg to retail consumers in major cities across the country.
The retail price of tomatoes has seen unwarranted increase in recent weeks despite continuous arrival in mandis in good quantities. Rains and high humidity due to prolonged monsoon in major producing states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra are reported to have led to quality concerns in recent weeks. The possible role of market intermediaries in the current price rise in this high demand festive season may not be ruled out.
NCCF’s intervention demonstrates its commitment to promoting fair trade practices, ensuring price stability, and safeguarding consumer interests. By directly engaging with farmers and offering tomatoes at a discounted rate, the organization is playing a crucial role in mitigating the impact of price fluctuations on consumers.
