GUNTUR: The prices of vegetables rose majorly in the last few days, since the start of Karthika Masam. A kilo brinjal was sold at Rs 56 on Saturday against Rs 44 a fortnight ago. The prices of many vegetables that usually have high demand in this season increased by at least Rs 5 to Rs 13 per kilo.
The cost of spine gourd increased from Rs 68 to Rs 76 per kilo, Carrot Rs 50 to Rs 62 per kilo, lady finger Rs 16 to Rs 22, and bitter gourd from Rs 32 to 40 per kilo. Such rise in prices is normal during the month of Kartika, opined T Ramakrishna, a vegetable seller in AT Agraharam.
Many non vegetarians prefer to go fully vegetarian during this season on devotional grounds and to participate in rituals related to Lord Shiva during the month, he noted.
Some people take deeksha to worship god or goddess for a specific period, usually 30 to 41 days during this month, for Lord Ayyappa, Govinda, Narasimha Swamy, Shiva, Shiridi Sai, Dattatreyan and many more. Since the devotees and their entire families only depend on vegetarian food, the consumption of vegetables has increased.
Along with this, the continuous rains in October have damaged the vegetable crops which lead to a decrease in yield and an increase in the costs of vegetables. Ramani, a resident of AT Agraharam said that we usually buy vegetables at a nearby shop. But bow we have switched to rythu bazar to bear the costs.