MADURAI: A dip in the arrival of stock and increasing demand has caused prices of vegetables to gradually rise in Madurai central market and other parts of the state. While farmers said there has been a slight dip in harvest yields due to the climatic conditions, experts said that the festival season is likely to push the prices up further.
When compared to the previous week, the prices of several vegetables such as tomatoes, coconuts and drumsticks have increased in Madurai.
At the central vegetable market in Mattuthavani, a 15 kg crate of tomato was priced at Rs 600. The price was well below Rs 350 last week. Similarly, drumsticks were sold at Rs 90 per kilo, a substantial rise from Rs 60 per kilo last week.
Coconut prices have also skyrocketed, with a kilo of coconut selling for Rs 55 n Madurai. On Tuesday, during the weekly coconut auction at Vadipatti regulatory market, a single coconut fetched Rs 28.
Speaking to TNIE, N Chinnamayan, president of Central Market All Traders Federation said, “For tomato, the Madurai market has to rely on cultivators from neighbouring districts such as Dindigul during harvest season, and a major portion comes in from Andhra Pradesh during the off-season.
Following the recent floods in Andhra Pradesh, farmers from the neighbouring state are opting to buy from Tamil Nadu farmers, causing the price of vegetables to increase here as well. The prices are only set to soar ahead of the festival season. On an average, the Madurai market receives 20 truckloads of tomatoes, which has taken a hit now due to the reduced supply.”
P Dhayalamoorthy, a tomato trader from Dindigul told TNIE, “Last week, we received more than 20,000 crates. For the past two days, just 7,000 boxes have arrived at the Oddanchatram wholesale market. Most arrivals are from Oddanchatram, Palani, Dharapuram, Thomppampatti, Madathukulam and other villages in Dindigul. When we asked farmers about the reduced supply, they blamed the warm weather and soaring temperatures. We expect the prices to soar in the upcoming days in Dindigul and Madurai.”
P Marisan, a wholesale agent at MGR Market in Coimbatore said, “At the wholesale market, tomato was sold for Rs 500 (a 15 kg crate). The arrivals are low compared to the previous week. Normally, the wholesale market in Coimbatore gets more than 150 tonnes of tomatoes. Now, it has dropped below 100 tonnes from Coimbatore and Mysuru after the Onam festival. Spread of disease among the crop is among the reasons for this.”