Customers feel the heat as vegetable prices shoot up

Owing to the deficit rainfall in district, the vegetable production has declined and the prices have soared.

The prices of all the green vegetables have shot up in the last few days.

For instance, beans sell at Rs 60 a kg while prices of other vegetables are as follows—carrot (Rs 60), ridge gourd (Rs 40), radish (Rs 30), brinjal (Rs 30), kohlrabi (Rs 40), beetroot (Rs 25), potato (Rs 20), green peas (Rs 140), drum stick (Rs 60), javalikai (Rs 40), Ivy gourd (Rs 30), tomato (Rs 40), onion (Rs 20), ginger (Rs 140), chilly (Rs 30) and sambar cucumber (Rs 20).

The district had experienced 33% deficit rainfall since January. The plateau region had not experienced rainfall. As a result, the supply of vegetables has declined.

The price of tomato, onion, beans, carrot, beetroot, potato and green peas have increased by 30% in the last one week.

Homemaker Banashankari Joshi said, “Vegetables were sold at less rate during the monsoon. One could get beans for Rs 10 to Rs 20 per kg. Now, it is sold at Rs 60 per kg. The prices of pulses have increased to Rs 100 per kg.”

The rise in the price of vegetables is an added burden on the common man. The price of vegetables has not declined except for onion, said another homemaker H S Savitha.

Vegetable vendor Jafar said, “The business has come down drastically. The hotel owners who were purchasing vegetables daily have turned towards leafy vegetables.”

Another vegetable seller L M Mahesh said, “The prices of vegetables have risen in the last two months. The vegetables have not arrived at the market. It looks like the prices may not decline for the time being.”