Discounted Tomato Sales to be Offered by Centre in Delhi and Other Cities

The government will start selling tomatoes at discounted rates in retail markets in Delhi and other cities to help consumers cope with high prices. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation and National Cooperative Consumers Federation will be responsible for selling the tomatoes. The discounted tomatoes will be available in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal, as well as cities like Patna, Varanasi, Kanpur, and Kolkata. The prices will be at least 30% lower than the prevailing market rate. The tomatoes will be procured from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra and sold in major consumption centers. The sale will continue until prices cool down, which is expected to be in August. The ministry also mentioned that tomato prices typically rise during July-August due to lean production months and supply disruptions caused by the monsoon. The new crop arrivals are expected soon and prices are anticipated to cool down in the near future.