India: Vegetable rates down but retailers refuse to cut prices
Comparative data of wholesale prices for vegetables sold at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) reveals that apart from tomatoes and potatoes, almost all vegetables have become cheaper compared to their prices two weeks ago. Strangely, the retail prices of these vegetables refuse to show a corresponding correction. The reason: retailers are resorting to profiteering at the expense of the common man. The state government has failed to take punitive measures to ensure that the benefit of drop in vegetable prices gets passed on to the end-users.
Authorities say that, currently, there is no mechanism to regulate the prices of vegetables. "We can do little with this matter as vegetables are not covered under the Essential Commodities Act," said RP Gupta, principal secretary, food and civil supplies.
Retailers, however, say that once the prices go up, they take time to come down! "Our customers are finicky and pick only the best vegetables. There is a lot of loss in ensuring that consumers get vegetables only of good quality," said a retail vendor. "We sell only A-grade vegetables. That is why prices remain high," said another retailer in Satellite.
Source: indiatimes.com
