Bengaluru buyers in a squeeze as lemons get costlier

Vagaries of weather and high demand will keep prices high for two months

A 25-30% drop in production has jacked up the price of lemon in the past week. The fruit now costs Rs 200-250 per kg and retailers are selling it for Rs 8-10 per piece.

The demand for lemon is usually high during the summer as people make more lemonade to quench their thirst in the scorching heat. The production also drops during this season, resulting in a slight price escalation. Vagaries of the weather has pushed the prices further up this year.

“In January and February, which is the flowering season, there were cloudy conditions for around 20 days in the lemon-growing regions of Karnataka. That is why there was flower dropping, which led to a lower yield. Every year, growers used to sell a 40-kg bag for around Rs 3,500-4,000. This year, they are selling it at Rs 5,000-5,500,” said Santosh Sappandi, managing director, Karnataka State Lime Development Board in Indi taluk, Vijayapura district.

Experts said the price rise is only temporary. “While the supply is less and the demand is more during summer, come June, when the monsoon starts, the supply will increase and the demand will fall,” said a member of the board. “People also don’t consume lemon when it is raining for the fear of catching a cold. The prices will come down then.”

No hike at eateries

Fearing a loss of customers, the city’s restaurants and juice centres have decided not to hike the prices of lemon-based items, even if they were to incur a slight loss for two months. “Summer is when we get the most customers. If we increase the price, they will not come so often. The price of lime juice will continue to be Rs 20 per glass,” said a staffer at a juice centre in Jayanagar.

P C Rao, president of the Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association, said: “Some restaurants might stop making lemon juice and use tamarind as a substitute in lemon rice. But most other items will not be affected as concentrated lemon syrup can be used instead of fresh lime.”

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