Pralhad Joshi flags off subsidised tomatoes at Rs 60 per kg

Pralhad Joshi launched the sale of tomatoes at Rs 60 per kg here today. The National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF) vans will be providing the tomatoes at subsidised rate. The tomatoes will be sold in Delhi along with Noida and Gurgaon. The Centre undertook the market intervention initiative to stabilise rising tomato price in the retail market.

While addressing the media during the flagging off ceremony, Shri Joshi said that to check the surge of tomato price in major cities, especially Delhi, the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India has decided to launch this initiative. “From today onwards subsidised tomatoes will be sold for Rs 60 per kg”, said Shri Joshi.

The Union Minister said that under Shri Narendra Modi government, the Centre has set up a Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) to stabilise rising food prices and protect consumers’ interests. “Whenever a situation arises price of essential commodities increase, we utilise the PSF to procure the commodities. These essential commodities are directly procured from farmers that reduces intermediary costs and ensure availability to consumers", said Shri Joshi adding on that in this case PSF was not utilised as tomatoes were directly procured from mandis. He further added that this initiative will ease tomato price, stabilise the market and provide tomatoes at subsidised rate to consumers.

NCCF has initiated market intervention to stabilise rising tomato prices in the retail market. NCCF is procuring tomatoes from wholesale mandis and selling them at reasonable retail prices.This move aims to ensure that profit margins remain reasonable at the retail level and prevent windfall gains to intermediaries and thereby protect the interests of consumers.