TIRUCHY: The price of ginger tea has gone up by Rs 2 to Rs 4 in the city due to an unrelenting increase in the price of ginger, which recently crossed the Rs 250/kg mark in Tiruchy. Ginger tea, earlier sold at Rs 12 in the city teashops, is now charged at Rs 14 or Rs 16.
As of Thursday, the cost of a kilogram of ginger stood at Rs 250 at Gandhi Market. Traders, attributing the rise in price to supply shortage, say this is the first time ginger was priced at Rs 250 or more for a kilogram. It was only a few days ago that the price had shot up to Rs 300, they added.
MK Kamalakkannan at Gandhi Market said, “The increase in the price of ginger is due to the shortage of supply witnessed over the past one month. Ginger is usually supplied from the hilly areas in Erode, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Hosur and Karnataka. Rain in those regions affected yield, leading to a shortage of supply. This is for the first time we are witnessing the price of ginger crossing Rs 250 per kg.”
NK Hakkeem, who runs multiple tea shops in the city, said, “Earlier, I used to purchase ginger at Rs 130 per kg. Now the prices have gone up to Rs 300 per kg. Therefore, we were forced to increase the price of ginger tea from Rs 12 to Rs 14 - starting from August 1. It is not just because of the rise in ginger prices but other commodities too.”
Sivakumar S, who runs a restaurant in the city, told TNIE, “Ginger is not just used in tea but in a variety of food items. The rise in ginger prices prompted us to increase the price of ginger tea. We have not increased the price of any other item. The price of tomatoes, onions and garlic also skyrocketed over the past two months. By maintaining the same prices for the dishes, we manage to get some profit. If the prices of essentials continue to go up, food items, too, would be overcharged.”