With summer racing towards its peak bringing in attendant drought in many places across the State, the last couple of weeks has witnessed vegetable and fruit prices soaring in the city.
Just as the city is set to experience the ‘best’ of the summer season, the people are already welcomed by whopping veggie prices at the market, especially the vegetables used on a daily basis. According to a wholesale vegetable trader at Koyambedu, lack of rain and water this summer has resulted in the sudden increase in the vegetable prices — up to 20 per cent in last two weeks.
“The election has barely affected our sales or prices. But as usual it is summer season which is the reason for the price rise, which has just started. The prices will be worse in the upcoming months,” alerts Soundarajan, vegetable vendor at Koyambedu.
Topping the list of the ‘expensive yet essential’ vegetable are beans, broadbeans (avarai), carrot, chayote (chow-chow) and tomato, the prices of which has increased double or triple the rate in retail market since last week.
Both wholesalers and retailers, who anticipated a price hike this summer season, said that such an increase was unexpected as height of summer season is yet to come. Apparently the vegetable loads coming in the wholesale market has decreased, which has in turn increased the prices.
“The number of people walking in has decreased by half due to which we have decreased our load. Every day we used to get at least 110 kilograms of beans, but in the last one week we have decreased it to 30 kilograms. Also the season is such that the vegetable rot easily and quickly,” said Babu of Pazhamudir cholai, West Mambalam.
But there are people who buy vegetables despite the increase in price, he added. “Do you think we have a choice? On one hand doctors say we need to avoid rice in summer and eat more fruits and vegetables, on the other hand the prices are too high to imagine,” said Aishwarya, a housewife in T Nagar.
The vegetable vendors in wholesale market expect at least 30 per cent more increase in the prices for next few months.
Also, every fruit’s price has increased to about 10 per cent for now. All the fruits from apple to banana, the rate has increased to at least `50 per kilogram, except for mangoes which are yet to come into market in full swing. “The mango season has just started and we are getting loads only in last few days. So the mango prices are down to about `40 per kilogram, but as more mangoes come in, the rate of other fruits will come down,” said Saravanan, fruit vendor in West Mambalam.