Thieves in Shahjahanpur stole 60 kilograms of lemon stored in a vegetable trader’s warehouse. They also stole other high-priced vegetables from the warehouse. The duped vegetable trader said the thieves took away 60 kilograms of lemon, 40 kg of onions, 38 kg of garlic.
The trader from Bahadurganj Mohalla, who has a shop in the Bajaria area, said that on Sunday morning when he reached the vegetable market, he saw that the lock of the warehouse was broken and the vegetables were lying scattered on the road.
The prices of lemons have shot up to an unimaginable extent in recent weeks. In Lucknow, lemon is selling at Rs 325 per kilogram and Rs 13 per piece which is decidedly higher than other fruits in the market. Lemonade, popularly known as ‘shikanji’, is no longer served to guests in the scorching heat.
President of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association, Girish Oberoi, said, “Small hotels have stopped serving lemon.” He said that the sudden escalation in prices was mainly due to a hike in fuel prices and also low output.
Rise in lemon prices echoes onion inflation from decade ago
Over the past couple of weeks, lemon prices have skyrocketed to 350 rupees ($4.6) per kilogram in India. One lemon now costs Rs10, five times more than its average price.
Vegetable prices have, in general, spiked across India following an increase in fuel and transportation costs, especially in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war. The weather has been particularly unfavourable in lemon-growing regions, too. The sudden increase in the price of lemon reminds Indians of similar spikes in onion prices almost every year, particularly one witnessed a decade ago. In October 2013, it shot up by 278.2% due to a combination of factors: rising consumption, a debilitating drought, and hoarding, among others.
Source: thekashmirmonitor.net
