New Delhi: Months after the tomato prices skyrocketed to nearly Rs 200, the central government on Monday directed the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) to sell staple vegetable at a retail price of Rs 50 per kg from August 15.
Coming together to tackle the escalating tomato prices, the NCCF and NAFED have joined hands to sell tomatoes in several regions, including Delhi-NCR, Jaipur, Kota in Rajasthan, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, as well as Patna, Muzaffarpur, Arrah, and Buxar in Bihar.
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To counter the rising prices, the sale of tomatoes began in Delhi-NCR on July 14th. NCCF took the initiative further by setting up mobile tomato shops at 70 locations within Delhi and 15 more in Noida and Greater Noida, making them easily accessible to the public.
Initially priced at Rs 90 per kilogram, the cost of tomatoes sourced by NCCF and NAFED was later brought down to Rs 80 per kilogram. Taking the effort to make this essential commodity even more affordable, the price was subsequently reduced to Rs 70 per kilogram starting from July 20th.
Aiming to expand their distribution network, the agencies also adopted the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform for retail sales to provide maximum to the people.
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Following the guidelines from the Department of Consumer Affairs, NCCF and NAFED initiated the procurement of tomatoes from markets in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. This strategic move aimed to cater to consumption centers that were grappling with steep increases in tomato prices.
Up until August 13th, the collaborative endeavors of NCCF and NAFED have culminated in the procurement of an impressive total of 15 lakh kilograms of tomatoes.
(This is a developing story)
