Explore Business Standard
Tomato
To address sharp volatility in retail prices of tomatoes, the government has selected and funded 28 innovative ideas, including making wine from tomato, under a hackathon for improving supply chain as well as processing levels, and it will now facilitate these startups to scale up their business. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Friday said Tomato Grand Challenge (TGC) hackathon was launched in June last year to invite innovative ideas at various levels of the tomato value chain to ensure its availability to consumers at affordable prices and help tomato farmers get value for the produce. The TGC was formulated by the Department of Consumer Affairs in collaboration with Ministry of Education (Innovation Cell). "There is a high volatility in tomato prices. Rates increase sharply because of excessive rains, heat spells and pest attacks," Khare said, adding that there are at least 2-3 occasions in a year of sudden price hike as much as 100 per cent. She pointed out that rate
Retail tomato prices declined 22.4 per cent month-on-month on improved supplies across the country, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said on Sunday. The all-India average retail price of tomatoes stood at Rs 52.35 per kg on November 14, down from Rs 67.50 per kg on October 14, according to an official statement. During the same period, modal wholesale prices at Delhi's Azadpur mandi witnessed a sharper decline of nearly 50 per cent to Rs 2,969 per quintal from Rs 5,883 per quintal, driven by increased arrivals. Similar price corrections were reported from key markets like Pimpalgaon (Maharashtra), Madanapalle (Andhra Pradesh), and Kolar (Karnataka), the ministry said. "Though arrivals have subsided at major tomato centres in Madanapalle and Kolar, prices have eased due to seasonal supplies from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat filling supply gaps nationwide," it added. Favourable weather conditions have supported both crop growth and smooth supply chain movement from fields to
In a bid to address rising tomato prices, the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) on Monday initiated a market intervention by directly procuring tomatoes from mandis and selling them at a subsidised rate of Rs 65 per kilogram at 50 locations of Delhi-NCR. The intervention is to protect consumers from the recent increase in tomato prices and to prevent windfall gains for intermediaries, according to an official statement. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare initiated the retail sale of tomatoes through mobile vans and NCCF retail shops at Krishi Bhawan. " We are trying to moderate the prices of tomatoes. With this market intervention, in the next 3-4 days prices of tomatoes will come down," Khare told reporters. The statement said the retail prices of tomatoes have seen an unwarranted increase in recent weeks despite continuous arrival in good quantities in mandis. Prolonged monsoon rains and high humidity in major producing states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
The government will start selling tomatoes at a subsidised rate of Rs 50 per kg from Friday in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai retail markets as against Rs 60 per kg now to provide relief to the common man. On July 29, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had launched sales of tomatoes at a subsidised rate of Rs 60 per kg in Delhi-NCR. Later, the sales started in Mumbai also. "Prices of tomatoes have come down after our intervention," Joshi told reporters here. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said, "We will start selling tomatoes at Rs 50 per kg from tomorrow (August 2) in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai," she told reporters. The National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) is selling tomatoes through mobile vans. According to the Department of Consumer Affairs data, the all-India average price of tomatoes stood at Rs 61.74 per kg on July 31. In Delhi, the average price was Rs 70 per kg on Wednesday. Last month, the rates soared to more than Rs 100 per kg as
Tomato prices in the city markets surged to Rs 90 per kg as supplies have taken a hit due to monsoon rains lashing many states across the country, several vegetable vendors said on Tuesday. The rates of tomatoes have also gone up in the major wholesale vegetable markets of Delhi, including Azadpur Mandi, Ghazipur Mandi, and Okhla Sabzi Mandi. Several residents in the city expressed disappointment over the rising prices of tomatoes in their local markets and online retailing platforms. "Just a few days back, we bought tomatoes for Rs 28 kg but now it is selling for Rs 90 kg online and in the local market. Vegetables have become costlier," said a local of Laxmi Nagar locality. "The rates have soared up to Rs 50 kg even in wholesale markets due to the rains. This is because the supply of tomatoes has decreased in the past one week. The number of trucks that used to ferry these farm produce from states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Himachal have gone down because of heavy rains ...
Hyperlocal e-commerce firm Magicpin on Thursday said it will provide tomato for Rs 50 per kilogram at select online apps like Paytm and Pincode available at ONDC network in collaboration with National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India. Magicpin said that till date, it has facilitated the delivery of approximately 20,000 orders for 40,000 kilograms (kg) of tomatoes across more than 90 pin codes in and around Delhi-NCR in just 4 weeks at Rs 70 per kilogram (Kg), and henceforth, tomato will be shipped at a lower price of Rs 50 per kg. "The latest reduction to Rs 50 per kg will further benefit the consumers, where essential commodities are facing price fluctuations. We are humbled to join hands with NCCF and ONDC's initiative, and committed to contributing towards its success," Magicpin CEO and co-founder Anshoo Sharma said in a statement. Magicpin is offering a maximum purchase limit of 2 kilograms of tomato at Rs 100 per user per week with no delivery fees. National Cooperati
Cooperative NCCF on Wednesday said about 5 tonne tomatoes imported from neighbouring country Nepal are in transit and will be retailed at a subsidised rate of Rs 50/kilogram in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) has contracted for import of 10 tonne of tomatoes from Nepal. NCCF is undertaking imports as well as domestic procurement of tomatoes on behalf of the central government and retailing them at a subsidised rate to give relief to consumers from high prices of the kitchen staple. The retail intervention is being undertaken on direction from the Union consumer affairs ministry. Speaking to PTI, NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra said, "We have contracted 10 tonne of tomato imports from Nepal. Out of this, 3-4 tonne was distributed yesterday in Uttar Pradesh. About 5 tonne...is in transit and will be retailed tomorrow in UP at subsidised rates." The imported tomatoes cannot be sold in other parts of India becau
About 10 tonnes of tomatoes imported from Nepal are in transit and the commodity will be distributed in Uttar Pradesh during the weekend at a subsidised rate of Rs 70 per kg, a top official of cooperative NCCF said on Friday. Since July 11, the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF) is selling tomatoes at a discounted rate on behalf of the central government to boost domestic availability and contain prices. So far, NCCF has sold 9,38,862 kg of tomatoes in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. "Imports are being undertaken by traders. About 10 tonnes of tomatoes are under transit. NCCF will sell imported tomatoes in Uttar Pradesh at a discounted rate during this weekend," NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra told PTI. The imported tomatoes will be sold in Uttar Pradesh at a discounted rate of Rs 70 per kg. The imports will be moderated depending on the local availability and price movement, she said. This is for the first time India is importing
Amid an alarming surge in tomato prices, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit issued an order on Thursday temporarily halting its consumption in his household as "a gesture of solidarity with the citizens facing the impact of rising food prices". Tomato is currently selling at a rate of more than Rs 200 a kilo and its prices are likely to touch Rs 300 per kilogram in the coming days, according to wholesale traders. "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," according to an official release. The price surge has been attributed to various factors, including supply chain disruptions, climatic conditions and other market dynamics, it said. Recognising the burden this situation places on ordinary citizens, the governor, who is also the administrator of the Union Territory (UT) of Chandigarh, has expressed his concern and empathy for the difficulties faced
The Union government has reduced prices of subsidised tomatoes to Rs 70 per kilogramme from Thursday from Rs 80 per kg now to provide relief to common man from high retail prices. The Centre is selling tomatoes to people at a subsidised rate of Rs 80 a kg in Delhi-NCR and some other key cities through the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED). The all-India average retail prices of tomatoes is ruling at nearly 120 per kg, although the key kitchen item is selling as high as Rs 245 per kg at some places. In the national capital, the rate has come down to Rs 120 per kg. "The Department of Consumer Affairs has directed NCCF and NAFED to sell tomatoes at retail price of Rs 70 per kg rate from July 20, 2023 in view of the declining trend in tomato prices," an official statement said. The tomatoes procured by NCCF and NAFED had been retailed, initially, at Rs 90 per kg and then reduced to
A Reserve Bank article on Monday said rising tomato prices have received widespread attention as it has taken a toll on households' budgets and the spillover effect of the spike in the price of the kitchen staple on other commodities remains a "major concern". In recent weeks, the price of tomatoes has soared to up to Rs 250 per kilogram, mainly due to crop damage. Amid the steep rise in retail prices, the Centre has started selling tomatoes at Rs 80 per kg in a bid to provide relief to people. "The recent spike in tomato prices on account of crop damage due to inclement weather and pest attacks in the major production belts has received widespread attention as it has taken a toll on households' budgets," said an article on 'State of the Economy' published in the Reserve Bank of India's July bulletin. The article also pitched for improving supply chains to contain overall inflation volatility. The price of tomatoes has started coming down and as per government data, on Monday, the