Several regions in India have experienced significant impacts on short-duration crops due to prolonged periods of heatwaves and dry weather. These crops, which are planted between the winter and summer seasons, have faced challenges, leading to unexpected rises in vegetable prices during April and continuing into May. The situation has been exacerbated by the lack of early monsoon showers and intense heat, particularly affecting the yield of summer crops, fruits, vegetables, and the quick-growing rice crops of the 'zaid' season from March to June.
April saw a marked increase in the prices of various fruits and vegetables at both retail and wholesale levels, attributed mainly to the heatwaves. From the start of March to the eighth of May, rainfall was 16% below the norm.
Retail food prices in March surged by 8.5%, despite a general drop in consumer prices to a 10-month low of 4.85%. Vegetables, which constitute a 7.5% share of the Consumer Price Index, have seen significant price increases. According to the Agmarknet portal, the average wholesale price of tomatoes in India rose by 62% to ₹1,512 per 100 kg in April year-on-year. Retail prices of tomatoes also saw a similar increase of 61% as of April 30th.
Potato prices at the wholesale level surged by 92% to ₹1,604 per 100 kg from the previous year, with retail prices up 49.3% on-year. Onions witnessed a 67.7% increase in April at the wholesale level, with retail prices up 53.2% from a year ago.
[ ₹ 100 = €1.10 ]
Source: india.com