Relief for consumers: Tomato prices finally sees dip; Rs 80/kg in Delhi-NCR, other cities

Amid skyrocketing prices of tomatoes, the Union government on Sunday reduced the subsidised rate of tomatoes to Rs 80/kg from Rs 90/kg with immediate effect in Delhi-NCR and other locations in retail markets.

The price increase of tomatoes in Delhi-NCR and other northern cities has been in the news for more than a week, but the Centre has finally decided to move forward and lower the cost of the necessary produce to merely Rs 80 per kg in the capital. Earlier, the tomato prices in Delhi NCR and nearby cities had gone as high as Rs 250 per kg, mostly because of the disruptions to the supply chain and the extreme weather conditions over the past month.

In order to relieve people from the excessive prices of the essential kitchen item in retail marketplaces, the Centre would sell tomatoes for Rs 80 per kg starting on Sunday as opposed to Rs 90 per kg previously. On Friday, the Centre started to sell tomatoes at a discounted rate of Rs 90 per kg in Delhi-NCR through mobile vans. More cities were added on Saturday.

According to a official statement, "The government's intervention to sell it at a concessional rate of Rs 90 per kg, at several locations in the country where the prices were ruling exceptionally high, has resulted in a decrease in the wholesale prices of tomatoes."

"It has been decided to sell it at Rs 80 per kg starting today Sunday, July 16th, 2023," it said after reevaluating the scenario at more than 500 sites around the nation. To supply tomatoes at a competitive price, the Centre has established mobile trucks in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Lucknow, Patna, and other towns.

Aside from tomatoes, other necessary crops such as ginger, garlic, lemons, and green chillies have also seen price increases in some regions of India over the past several weeks as a result of the country's extreme weather and torrential rains, which have ruined the harvest and disrupted the supply chain.