JOIN USThe prices of vegetables have skyrocketed over the past week burning a hole in the pockets of the families. The vendors attribute the spurt to unseasonal rains and increase in cost of transportation.
While beans is being sold at Rs 70 to Rs 90 per kilo in supermarket stores, the carrots are being sold at Rs 30 to Rs 55 at retail outlets and supermarkets.
Just a week ago beans was priced at Rs 35 to Rs 45 per kilo and carrots were sold at Rs 20 to Rs 30. The price of green chillies has soared to Rs 70 per kilo. The prices in the State-run Hopcoms unit are also on a par with those in supermarkets.
Sujatha A, a resident of RPC Layout said: “For a common man, it is a huge burden. I have stopped purchasing beans and other vegetables whose prices have gone up manifold. I hope the prices fall to some extent."
Muniraju N, a resident from Banaswadi said that the usually crowded Lingarajapuram market was deserted on Sunday with not many consumers coming in to purchase vegetables. “The price of tomatoes has increased from Rs 10 last week to Rs 30 – Rs 35.
At supermarkets the price is even higher.”
‘No other option’
The retail merchants said that they do not have any other option, but to increase the rate of vegetables as the farmers were selling the produce at high rates to wholesale merchants.
Shaheed K, an employee at a retail vegetable outlet on Bannerghatta Road said: “The heavy rains in the last couple of days have led to the substantial rise in the price of vegetables. There has always been a fluctuation in the prices of vegetables depending on the season. We do not know when the prices of vegetables at the retail outlets will come down. It will depend on the crop production.”
The manager of a retail outlet located at Koramangala pointed out that few supermarkets were forced to hike the prices due to increasing transportation and labour costs.