KOCHI: As Tamil Nadu faces acute water shortage and prolonged drought, the prices of vegetables in the city have soared up. The drought has caused a fall in production in the neighbouring state, which in turn affected the imports. “There is a large difference between the rates at which we bought vegetables at the start of the month and now. The prices of garlic, ginger and beans have gone up too high,” said Sudha, a homemaker.
Not just the vegetables, even the fruits have become pricey. “Bananas have become scarce in the market as farms in Tamil Nadu have dried up,” said a vendor. The hike in vegetable price,
especially during the time of trawling ban, has affected the price of eggs too. The rate of an egg has increased from `3 to `6.
"Since the flow of produce from Tamil Nadu has decreased, some vegetables are being bought from Mysore. This causes a rise in transportation charges, which reflects in the price of the vegetables," said Peter Joseph, owner of a vegetable stall in Kaloor.
According to Peter, the vegetables that come in are of low quality. "Not just the quantity, even the quality is low. I buy vegetables from Ernakulam Market and we have no option other than to buy what is available. In fact, the veggies sold now are of poor quality,” he added.
This has also affected the street vendors. “When the rates go high, even we will be forced to cut down on the quantity put for sale. But, then if people don't buy from us, our business will be at stake,” said a street vendor.
Meanwhile, a Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam official confirms the increase in prices. “Now, whatever is produced in Tamil Nadu will be used there itself,”he said.
`10,000 more
According to vendors, they are forced to pay `10,000 to `20,000 for a load additionally due to the situation. “The rise in prices are forcing us to cut down on the produce we source because no body is going to buy it from us,” says a wholesale dealer.