Tomato prices to cool down in the next few days: DoCA
Tomato prices are expected to decrease in the next few days as supplies from production centers such as mountainous areas increase and are expected to return to normal within a month.
Referring to the issue of seasonality, Consumer Affairs Minister Rohit Kumar Singh said in a media briefing that tomato prices are usually higher during June-July due to poor production in major producing areas. He said prices start to fall from August when harvests from the production areas start entering the markets. He further said that retail prices of tomatoes in the national capital will fall due to better supplies from Solan and Sirmore districts of Himachal Pradesh.
lean season
Singh said that tomatoes are a perishable product, which cannot be stored for a long time or transported over long distances. There is an inherent weakness in this commodity. Singh added that June, August, October and November are also weak production seasons, and prices in this period usually see a sharp rise.
The average retail price of tomatoes across India on June 29 was Rs 49 per kg as against Rs 51.50 per kg in the same period last year. He said this refers to seasonality.
Meanwhile, DoCA launched the Grand Tomato Challenge on Friday. Designed as a hackathon, the ministry invited ideas from students to industry stakeholders on the areas of primary processing, storage and evaluation of tomatoes.
phase D
Responding to a query about tur prices, Singh said that India will import 12,000 tonnes of pulses in the current fiscal to boost domestic availability and contain price hikes. The average retail price of flour in India increased by about 25 percent to INR 128.66 per kg, compared to last year’s level. But it will start to calm down after the import starts.”
“We consume about 44-45 thousand tons in India. Every year, we have to import. We will import 12 thousand tons in the current fiscal year. To date, the country has imported 6 tons of tor. Imports are imported from Myanmar and East African countries. He said that the harvest in East African countries will start to arrive in August, and thus local prices will calm down. The country imported 8.9 thousand tons in the last fiscal year.
Recently, the government has taken measures such as imposing stock limits on traders, millers and importers. He added that since stock imposition limits there is a downward trend in phase prices. Singh stated that the government has also decided to offload 50,000 tons of buffer stock in the market and will help cool down the prices of Tor Dal.
Besides tur, the secretary said there was an increase of 7.22 per cent in the pan-India average retail price of urad at INR 111.77 per kg on June 28 as compared to last year. Correction will begin as supplies from Myanmar improve.
Singh said abundant production is expected in Madhya Pradesh, which will help ease moong dal prices.