Cooperative NCCF on July 30 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 sales at a subsidised rate of ₹90 per kg on July 14 and later reduced the price to ₹70 per kg. Since last week, NCCF has been selling tomatoes at ₹70 per kg in all three States.
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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 the 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 the 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.
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"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 ₹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, the all-India average retail price of tomatoes was ruling at ₹123.49 per kg till July 29, with maximum rate was ₹193 per kg, while minimum was ₹29 per kg.
Tomato was ruling at ₹167 per kg in Delhi, at ₹155 per kg in Mumbai, and at ₹133 per kg in Chennai on July 29, the data showed.
