BERHAMPUR: As if steep rise in price of onion was not enough, people of Ganjam district are now worried about an increase in the price of other vegetables.
The phenomenon has hit people of Silk City the most as the price rise is the steepest here. The district depends on vegetables from south India and owing to frequent rains, the local crops have been damaged. This has created an imbalance in demand and supply.
Vegetables of all varieties are available in the market but none is below Rs 60 per kg, rued Sashi Samal, a housewife. A dipstick survey of vegetable markets at Bada Bazaar, vending zones near Radio Station and near medical college, Bijipur and Gosaninuagaon localities of the city shows that the price of vegetables have almost doubled.
The price of tomato, available for Rs 25-30 per kg four days back, has shot up to Rs 55-60 per kg. Similarly, the price of lady’s finger has doubled from Rs 30 per kg to Rs 60 per kg. People were hoping to save some money they spent on buying onion as it is not consumed by most households during the holy month of Kartika. However, the rise in price of vegetables, ginger and coriander has come as a disappointment for them.
Babula Samal, a vegetable vendor, said the prices will be on an upward trend for at least a fortnight. He said the apprehensions of the State Government that the price of onion will go up further may lead to artificial scarcity of the bulb.
In Koraput district where farmers grow vegetables round the year, people are also feeling the price pinch. Farmers in Borrigumma, Kundra, Dasmantpur, Laxmipur, Potangi, Nandapur, Koraput, Semiliguda and Lamtaput grow vegetables and supply them to markets across the district. Every day, at least 20 trucks (around 200 tonnes) of vegetables like brinjal, cabbage, tomato, beans and cauliflowers are sent to the markets. Vendors said during the holy month of Kartika, vegetables are more in demand which has led to price rise. Almost all the vegetables are selling above Rs 50 a kg. While cauliflower costs Rs 80 apiece, cabbage is selling at Rs 40 per kg, beans and tomatoes at Rs 60 per kg each and onions at Rs 50 a kg.
In Balangir, known as Nashik of Odisha for being the highest producer of onions, the bulb has brought tears to the eyes of people and farmers as well. On Wednesday, the price of onions rose to Rs 70.
Onions are cultivated in 4000 to 5000 hectare of land and the district produces around 50,000 MT to 60,000 MT per year. Farmers of Bangamunda, Muribahal, Turekela and Titlagarh blocks of Titlagarh sub-division are the major producers of onions. However, the district faces a price hike of onions in the absence of storage facilities.
Udaya Patel, an onion grower of Dhabapara village under Titlagarh block, said he had sold onions to wholesalers at Rs 8 per kg in April and now he has to buy it at Rs 70 a kg.
