On 10 August 2023, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government is undertaking measures to control inflation. As a part of these measures tomatoes are being imported from Nepal to increase supply and meet the demand.
While participating in a debate on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman stated, “Lot of steps have been taken to contain inflation. Group of Ministers has been taking timely steps to control prices which are hitting common people.” Along with tomatoes many other items are also being imported.
The Finance Minister said Tur dal is being brought in from Mozambique, Urad dal will be imported from Myanmar, while around three lakh tonnes of onions have been brought in to create a buffer stock.
According to FM Nirmala Sitharaman, tomatoes are being brought in from Maharashtra and Karnataka, and distributed in Bihar, Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and West Bengal via the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and other cooperative societies. Till now, the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF) has dispensed 8.84 lakh kg of tomatoes in the mentioned states.
She added, “This will continue, and be increased…We have allowed imports from Nepal by removing import restrictions. The first lot will reach Varanasi, Kanpur, and Lucknow this week.” She also mentioned that the wholesale prices of tomatoes in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are reducing steadily.
Sitharaman also said that the NCCF is thinking to organize a mega sale of tomatoes in the Delhi NCR region at a subsidized rate of Rs 70 per kg this weekend, and many steps, like this, will further be taken.