Following Union Government’s intervention, tomato prices have already taken a downturn in the northern region of the country. The staple vegetable saw a decline in retail prices by Rs 30-100 in just five days. The government has set up stalls through cooperative groups in the major cities to sell tomatoes at a discounted rate of Rs 80 per kg. According to the Price Monitoring Division of the Food and Processing Ministry, the price in the capital has dropped by Rs 30.
Even in Punjab, the prices have dropped by nearly Rs 100 in the past three days. In Mansa district, the retail prices dropped from Rs 197 on Friday to Rs 103 on Monday. Similarly, Shimla saw a reduction of Rs 32 ever since the Union Government started selling tomatoes at Rs 80. The price fluctuation is attributed to various factors. The main reason is the breach of supply from Himachal Pradesh.
Vehicles with tomatoes enter from Nepal despite import ban
While prices of tomatoes are still high in most of India, imports of vegetables from Nepal have been banned. Tomatoes are priced at Rs 60 per kg in Nepal, even as their prices in India are soaring above Rs 150 per kg. However, despite a ban on the import of tomatoes from Nepal, recent video footage showed two carts carrying the vegetables to India from the Nepal border.
According to indiatoday.in, the vehicles were intercepted by border police and were sent to the Indian Customs Office at the Indo-Nepal border. However, officials let the smugglers through in exchange for money. Following this, all officers of the customs office were suspended.
Meanwhile, tomato prices are at an all-time high, selling at Rs 160 per kilogram in retail markets across Mumbai. The situation is the same in most parts of the country, where tomatoes are being sold at a sharp premium over their usual rates.
[ Rs 100 = €1.10 ]
Source: tribuneindia.com