'Tomato Grand Challenge Hackathon': Centre seeks ideas to curb soaring prices. Who can participate?
2 min read 01 Jul 2023, 11:45 AM ISTThe Indian government has launched a 'Tomato Grand Challenge Hackathon' to find solutions to combat rising tomato prices, following a similar initiative for onions. The contest is open to various sectors and aims to ensure affordable prices for consumers and fair value for farmers.
PremiumThe Indian government has launched a 'Tomato Grand Challenge Hackathon' in New Delhi, urging the public to propose creative solutions to combat the escalating tomato prices in recent weeks.
As reported by The Hindu, this initiative follows a similar approach taken during a previous surge in onion prices. Union Consumer Affairs Secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh, revealed that during that time, the Ministry received 13 ideas focused on value addition and price control for onions.
The newly launched contest welcomes participation from various sectors including students, research scholars, teachers, industries, start-ups, and professionals. Rohit Kumar Singh, emphasized that participants can contribute ideas related to the tomato value chain. The objective is to ensure affordable prices for consumers while enabling farmers to receive fair value for their produce. The hackathon has been organized by the Department of Consumer Affairs in collaboration with the Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Education.
Singh noted that the tomato production seasons are different across regions. “The cycle of planting and harvesting seasons and the variation across regions are primarily responsible for price seasonality in tomatoes. Apart from the normal price seasonality, temporary supply chain disruptions and crop damage due to adverse weather conditions etc. often led to the sudden spike in prices," he added.
Speaking to reporters, Consumer Affairs Ministry has approached the Union Agriculture Ministry to provide incentives to farmers for cultivating onions during the ongoing Kharif season. The aim is to maintain stable onion prices and guarantee a consistent supply of onions in the market during the festive season and winter months.
“The country’s onion production is estimated at 319 lakh tonne in 2023, slightly lower than 324 lakh tonne in the previous year," Singh said. Adding that the Centre had procured three lakh tonne for buffer stock, he said, “The moment onion availability is ensured throughout the calendar year, prices will fall. These crops are seasonal and at some point, there will be a deficit. If you spread the production plus storage, the spike in prices can be avoided."
