Government funds 28 innovations to combat tomato price volatility and wastage

The department of consumer affairs has funded 28 shortlisted ideas under the Tomato Grand Challenge initiative where it had invited ideas on innovative and cost-effective solutions to reduce loss of the crop produced and add value to it.

The government expects this will combat the volatility in tomato prices, reduce wastage and enhance supply chain efficiency. The department said the prototypes of these technologies are ready whereby the ideator along with the government will now scale the projects.

Nidhi Khare, secretary of department of consumer affairs, said the intervention through these low-cost solutions will be affordable and lead to an additional cost of Re 1 or 50 paise per kg. "Even the waste will have a worth,” she said in a press meet held here on Friday.


India is the second-largest producer of tomatoes globally and produces 20 million metric tons annually. However, the country processes only 1% of the production as compared to 60-70% processing done by other nations.

Last year, India imported $20 million worth of canned and processed tomatoes out of which 70% is from China. The government expects these technologies will enhance the processing capacity of India and 70% of the processing can happen in the country itself.

Tomato prices in the country rise periodically during the monsoon season due to heavy rainfall which damages crops and impacts logistics. Last year, tomato prices skyrocketed. The peak, this year, has been around Rs 80-85 per kg.