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Tomato price surge hits consumers, govt deploys subsidy vans across Delhi-NCR
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Friday, 28 November, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Abhitash Singh, Mumbai
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Consumers in Delhi-NCR are feeling the pinch as tomato prices have shot up to ?80 per kg in several retail markets, prompting the Centre to step in with emergency price-stabilisation measures.
The Department of Consumer Affairs on Tuesday launched mobile subsidy vans across key locations in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad to provide tomatoes at much lower rates and prevent panic buying. The move comes amid tightening supplies from major producing states including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, where unseasonal rains and pest infestations have damaged standing crops over the past month.
Officials said the subsidised tomatoes, sourced through the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), will be sold at prices significantly below market rates to ease the burden on households. “The objective is to break the inflationary trend and stabilise the market. More vans will be deployed if needed,” a senior official said.
Vendors across the Capital blame the sudden spike on dwindling arrivals at wholesale mandis. At Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, Asia’s largest wholesale market for fruits and vegetables, traders reported a 30–40% drop in daily supply, pushing up wholesale prices and directly impacting retail rates.
Market watchers fear prices may stay volatile for at least another fortnight until fresh crops from Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh reach markets in larger volumes. However, government officials are confident that the intervention will prevent prices from spiralling further.
Meanwhile, consumers are already tweaking their kitchen budgets, with many opting for alternatives such as tamarind and packaged puree.
With the festive season approaching, the government is expected to closely monitor the vegetable basket to ensure essential prices remain under control.
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