New Delhi: Mother Dairy is selling frozen tomatoes at Rs 40 per kg in the National Capital Region, about 20 per cent lower than the prevailing retail prices. Fresh tomatoes are available at Rs 50-60 per kg in retail markets in the National Capital Region (NCR). The vegetable is available at Mother Dairy's Safal outlets at Rs 52 per kg. "There has been a cyclic rise in tomatoes, so to mitigate this spike in prices we have come up with frozen tomatoes, which is more cost effective, hygienic and in the packed form," Mother Dairy's Business Head (Horticulture) Pradipta K Sahoo said.
At present, the company has 400 safal outlets in Delhi- NCR and 30 stores in Bangalore. Mother Dairy procures additional stock of tomatoes between February-April when supply is abundant and prices are low. It then freezes the vegetable at its West Delhi plant. "We are also offering tomato puree which is without any preservative at Rs 25 per pack of 200 grams," he added. The dairy major is already offering other frozen vegetable like green peas, French beans, English carrots, sweetcorn and cauliflower florets.
Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable, established in 1974, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The company's business is divided into 4 segments - milk, dairy items, Dhara edible oils and horticulture through Safal brand and outlets. The product portfolio under Safal brand includes fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen vegetables, juices and processed food items such as jam, pickle and tomato ketchup.
Mother Dairy procures fruits and vegetables from 15 states through 110 associations, which together have 10,000 farmers as members. It has a state-of-the-art facility in West Delhi from where all the products are distributed. Safal outlets are being operated on the franchise model, where the company provides basic infrastructure.
