The Indian government has initiated the procurement of tomatoes under the Price Stabilisation Fund to combat the recent surge in tomato prices and make them available at affordable rates for consumers. With the arrival of new tomato crops from regions like Nashik, Naryangoan, Aurangabad in Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, the prices are expected to decrease. The National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) are procuring tomatoes from various mandis and offering them at subsidized prices in major consumption centers like Delhi-NCR, Bihar, and Rajasthan.
Initially sold at Rs 90/kg, the retail price of tomatoes has been reduced to Rs 80/kg from July 16 and further lowered to Rs 70/kg from July 20. The government hopes that the current price increase will encourage farmers to grow more tomatoes, leading to price stabilization in the coming months. The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare implements the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) to protect growers from distress sales during peak arrival periods.