Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh on Tuesday, July 18, said he expects tomato stocks to improve by August this year. Singh said this in response to a question about rising tomato prices across the country, posed by CNBC-TV18’s Shereen Bhan.

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Singh added that the current volatility in tomato prices is due to the change in arrival time compounded by the white mold disease. Tomato prices have witnessed steep hikes across India, going up from Rs 12-20 per kg in June to Rs 180-260 per kg in July.

He expects prices to ease by the first week of August as arrivals come in from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The government has maintained that with the onset of monsoon in July, challenges related to distribution and transit losses have further added to price rise.

The major affected parts have been the southern and western regions of the country, which contribute 56-58 percent of all-India production of tomatoes. Crops have been destroyed by relentless torrential rains.

The agricultural sector is bearing the brunt of uneven rainfall. This has hit kharif crops, leading to a 3.4 percent decline in total acreage for the 2023-24 season compared to the previous year.

In response to this alarming situation, the government has been selling tomatoes at subsidised wholesale rates through cooperatives in Delhi-NCR and other regions as well.

Singh added that 300 tonnes of tomatoes have been procured and distributed across mandis in the country to ease price volatility.

Also Read:Tomato prices likely to soar for another month, says Sanjay Gupta of NCML

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Jul 18, 2023 6:55 PM IST