Chennai: Nepal can supply tomatoes to India at competitive rates when domestic prices soar, the neighbouring country's Minister for Agricultural Development Hari Prasad Parajuli has said.
"June-November is tomato production season in mid hill tracts of our country and we could sell tomatoes at competitive prices," Parajuli, who was in the city for a conference, said.
Stating that he noticed prices of tomatoes touching Rs 80 a kg in India recently, Prajuli said during such times his country can pitch in.
"We could supply tomatoes at Rs 20 a kilo or even less when the procurement is bulk. Logistics support is available and supplies will be smooth," he said on the sidelines of the four-day Asia-Pacific conference on 'Role of Family Farming' being organised by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation.
Stating that individual traders faced "some glitches" in border crossings at the hands of authorities, he expressed hope that the trade situation would improve with more consultations between the two countries.
On the "specific areas of cooperation" between Nepal and India, he said development of better quality seeds that would deliver higher yields was an important area of interest for his country.
"Be it paddy, maize, millet, wheat or vegetables, better seeds with definite scope for higher yields are important and research in this area is welcome,” the Minister said.
Nepal was making bigger strides in several areas, including farming, he said.
The ancillary sector of meat production has been incentivised. "We provide 50 per cent subsidy for sheep farms."
