NCCF sells 560 tonnes tomatoes in last 15 days at subsidised rate in Delhi, UP, Rajasthan; sale continues at Rs 70/kg

Cooperative NCCF on Sunday said it has sold 560 tonnes of tomatoes at a subsidised rate in the last 15 days in Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, and the discount sale continues as retail prices are still ruling high amid heavy rains in key producing states.

National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) had begun tomato sale at a subsidised rate of Rs 90 per kg on July 14, and later reduced the price to Rs 70 per kg.

Since last one week, NCCF has been selling tomatoes at Rs 70 per kg in all three states.

NCCF is selling tomatoes on behalf of the central government in order to provide relief to consumers from high prices.

Even NAFED is also undertaking sale of the key kitchen staple in Bihar and other consuming states.

"We have sold around 560 tonnes of tomatoes till July 28 in Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The sale is continuing in all three states," NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra told PTI.

NCCF is selling tomatoes through mobile vans, select retail outlets of Kendriya Bhandar and government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) in Delhi and National Capital Region.

In the other two states, it is sold through mobile vans and tied up with state governments.

On sale of tomatoes through the ONDC platform, Joseph Chandra said it was launched in Delhi-NCR three days back and the response has been positive as 2,000 packets were sold.

"We are going to expand the online sale of tomatoes so that consumers can buy without any hassle. The delivery is done at a free of cost. The last three days' trial was successful," she said.

On the ONDC platform, tomatoes are sold at Rs 70 per kg and a quantity limit of 2 kg per consumer has been fixed, she added.

Currently, NCCF is sourcing tomatoes from major producing states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

As per the data maintained by the consumer affairs ministry, all-India average retail price of tomatoes were ruling at Rs 123.49 per kg till July 29, with maximum rate was Rs 193 per kg, while minimum was Rs 29 per kg.

Tomato was ruling at Rs 167 per kg in Delhi, at Rs 155 per kg in Mumbai, and at Rs 133 per kg in Chennai on July 29, the data showed.