MADURAI: Cyclone Mandous made landfall on the Tamil Nadu coast and hit the arrival of vegetables from neighbouring states including Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, resulting in a moderate price rise in the district.
The vegetables from the neighbouring states play a major role in meeting the daily needs of the district. Compared to the prices on Saturday, the prices of vegetables increased by at least Rs 5 a kilogramme on Sunday.
According to the central market traders in the district, a 15-kg tomato crate which was sold at Rs 100 to 220 on Saturday increased to Rs 150 - 250 on Sunday. This translates into a retail price rise of Rs 20-25 a kilogramme.
Similarly, brinjal, chilly and ladies' finger have witnessed an average rise of Rs 5 in the market. The price of small onion has been remaining above Rs 100 since October. Speaking to TNIE, President of Central Market all Traders Federation, N Chinnamayan, said,
"As most of the locally-cultivated tomatoes getting destroyed in the rain, the Andhra and Karnataka tomatoes have been keeping the price normal stage in Madurai. With the rain affecting the transportation from other states, the price of tomatoes has increased in the market. A similar situation prevails for other vegetables. Based on the arrival from other states and harvest season, the prices of vegetables might fluctuate in the coming days."
Muthumari, a resident, said, "We are used to this situation. Whenever it rains, prices of vegetables spikes in the market. Thus soon after the Meteorology department announcement, we purchased enough vegetables to avoid any troubles."