ROURKELA: The price of potato may have cooled down to some extent but the prices of other vegetables have risen sharply in the last few days in Rourkela city and rest of Sundargarh district.
The price of onion in the district has shot up to Rs 55 per kg. Since the district depends on Maharashtra and a few other states for onions, the rise in price of the bulb is at the source.
Similarly, drumstick is selling for Rs 120 per kg and capsicum for Rs 80 per kg. Bottle gourd, pointed-gourd and carrot are priced at Rs 60 per kg while the smaller variety of teasel gourd is selling for Rs 200 per kg. The larger variety of the vegetable can be had for Rs 60 per kg. While the price of tomato has somehow moderated to Rs 40 per kg, brinjal and plantain continue to be sold at Rs 60 per kg. Even pumpkin and papaya have become costlier by Rs 10 and are being sold at Rs 30 per kg. Similarly, cow pea, cucumber and ridge-gourd are available for Rs 40 per kg. Bottle gourd too has seen a rise in price and is selling for Rs 30 per piece.
The price of coriander leaf has shot up to Rs 300 per kg while garlic is priced at Rs 380 per kg and ginger at Rs 360 per kg. Green chilli is comparatively affordable at Rs 100 per kg. Vegetable vendors attributed rise in price at Rourkela markets to inadequate supply from farmers in adjacent Nuagaon, Bisra, Lathika and Kuanrmunda blocks of the district. The district has set a target to grow vegetables on 35,800 hectare land during the ongoing kharif season.
Chief district agriculture officer Harihar Nayak said given the usual vegetable cultivation pattern in the district shortage in the market during and after monsoon is quite common. He said new vegetable crops would start arriving soon.
