Nirmala Sitharaman on Tomato: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday that India will import tomatoes from Nepal amid a record jump in prices in the country.
Nirmala Sitharaman on Tomato: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday that India will import tomatoes from Nepal amid a record jump in prices in the country. During her speech in Parliament, Sitharaman informed that the first consignment of imports is likely to reach North Indian cities like Varanasi, Lucknow and Kanpur by Friday.
According to a Reuters report, “Tomato prices have risen by more than 1,400 percent in the past three months to a record 140 rupees ($1.69) per kg in the wholesale market.” Farmers blamed heavy rains, high temperatures and a virus attack on the crop. Reasons including the outbreak have been cited.
RBI governor said this:
Announcing the key decisions of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das also said that inflation was pushed up by a rise in tomato prices and rise in cereals, pulses. He further said that a significant improvement can be seen in the prices of vegetables.
Let us tell you that in June and July, tomato prices saw a significant increase, which increased inflation. On behalf of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India Limited (NCCF) and NAFED are buying tomatoes and selling them at subsidized rates, but this is proving to be insufficient.https://twitter.com/sansad_tv/status/1689569183892467713?s=20
Rates will not reduce now:
Prices usually come down from August, when the crop hits the market, but this year, traders expect the cost to remain high till October as supplies remain low. Let us tell you that on the instructions of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, tomatoes are being sold on subsidies from July 14. NCCF is currently selling them at the rate of Rs 70 per kg, while the same tomato is being sold above Rs 200 in the market.
