BENGALURU: The retail prices of vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, ocra (ladies finger), carrots and others has been on an upward trend in the city since the last one week due to shortfall in supply. The sudden price hike is also due to the change in weather and the end of the fruiting season. The high prices are likely to continue till May.
The price of tomato has increased from Rs 30 per kg to Rs 40 per kg, while that of string beans has almost doubled from Rs 40 to Rs 70 while the price of carrot, which was Rs 20 per kg last week, has more than doubled to Rs 50 per kg. The price rise is mainly due to shortage of arrivals in the market.
There has also been a sharp rise in prices of fruits like apples, black grapes and pomegranates with the retail prices having almost doubled since last week. The price of apples, which was Rs 170 per kg, has gone up to Rs 200 per kg, while the price of black grapes has risen from Rs 150 to Rs 220 per kg now. The price of pomegranates has gone up by as much as Rs 70, from Rs 120 per kg last week to Rs 190 per kg now.
Devaraj, president of HOPCOMS said, the prices of vegetables and fruits are increasing with the change in season and the yield drying up. “The grapes season has started from the last 15 days and we have been already sold 30 tons in eight days. Some vegetables like beans, cucumber were not grown in the cold weather, but the price variation has not been much compared to other seasons”, he noted.
A major factor for prices going up is the change in season which will adversely affect the yield. “There is demand for foreign apples and butter fruit, but the supply to the market is less”, he noted.
Roopa, a homemaker said, “The government should intervene to control the rice in prices of vegetables. If prices go up in this manner, it will be difficult to manage the household budget. The prices of all sorts of vegetables and fruits have increased”, she noted.