New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) Union government on Friday directed state-owned Mother Dairy to sell tomatoes in the national capital at Rs 40 per kg and increase supply to check the rising prices.

According to the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), tomatoes were sold in Delhi on Friday at average of Rs 63 per kg.

The DoCA on Friday reviewed the price and availability of tomatoes in Delhi with stakeholders in a High Level Inter Ministerial Committee meeting chaired by the department's Secretary Avinash Srivastava.

The committee directed Mother Dairy "to immediately begin" selling quality tomatoes through its retail outlets at Rs 40 per Kilogram and also increase the supply in the market to ensure that quality tomatoes are available to consumers at lower prices.

It also asked Delhi government's Food and Civil Supplies department "to exhort" traders and logistic providers to increase the supply of tomatoes to the mandis to ensure immediate control of price rise.

It was indicated by Horticulture Division of the Union Agriculture Ministry that the situation was momentary.

--IANS spk/rs