Amid skyrocketing tomato prices, the Andhra Pradesh government has appointed an official to help the Central government procure the perishable commodity from its market yard auctions through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), said an official on Wednesday.
The state government has assigned the Joint Director, Kadapa from the Agriculture Marketing Department with NAFED. "On Tuesday, NAFED officials called up and we have assigned our JD, Kadapa. They will also buy from Madanapalli and supply," Rahul Pande, Agriculture Marketing Commissioner, told PTI today.
As part of the Central government's strategy to distribute tomatoes to people from its end at reasonable prices, NAFED has tapped into major tomato growing states such as Andhra Pradesh and others to buy the commodity.
Pande noted that Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are major tomato markets, observing that NAFED could buy large quantities of tomatoes from the southern states. He said they are only playing a facilitation and coordination role with NAFED, adding that anybody can participate in the auctions.
Meanwhile, Pande said the Agriculture Marketing Department is procuring about 50 to 60 metric tonne of tomatoes per day to supply them at subsidised rates in the state. A couple of weeks ago it was 130 metric tonne.
Despite Pande forecasting that prices will come down by the first fortnight of July, tomatoes continue to command a high in Andhra Pradesh. On Tuesday, 1 kg of tomatoes was sold between Rs 100 and 120 at Kaleswara Rao market in Vijayawada.
According to the Commissioner, who is visiting several markets on a daily basis, the tomatoes ranged around Rs 94 to 95 per kg on Wednesday in Rythu Bazaars while the department's counter sold at Rs 50 per kg.
Currently, three price points are ruling tomato sales in the state - open market, Rythu Bazaar and departmental counter. In the open market, 1 kg of tomatoes is sold at Rs 120, he said. On Wednesday, the department sold 34 tonne of tomatoes through its counters across the state in 37 Rythu Bazaars. The counters are being operated only as long as the stocks are lasting, Pande said.
