Just as people plan to make their Diwali festival purchases, vegetable prices have increased in Mumbai. The prices in retail have doubled as the wholesale cost of vegetables of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee have increased by 20 per cent.
Consumers said that the increasing cost of vegetables during the festive season has hit their budgets. “This Diwali seems hardly like a festival with expenses increasing."
The prices of vegetables are disconcerting because this is the time when we eat only vegetables,” said Manasvi Shirodkar.
The unusual rainfall in the last week has destroyed some stock and traders have found it difficult as some vegetables have rotted. As a result, the price of onions, tomatoes, okra and cauliflower have doubled.
“It takes at least eight hours to transport the vegetables, which are brought from all over Maharashtra and unloaded at retail stores. During this period, the fluctuating weather conditions have spoilt vegetables like spinach and cauliflower,” said Prashant Jagtap, secretary of Ghavuk Bhajipala Mahasangh, a federation body of vegetable traders body in the city.
A trader while speaking to the Free Press Journal said, “The cost of vegetables has increased due to sudden rains and rising temperatures which have damaged some of our items.”
He added, “In the past week, there have been unprecedented rains in the evening and extreme humidity during the morning hours. This will obviously affect perishable items like vegetables.” Jagtap cautioned that the quality of the vegetables deteriorate during the transportation itself. In addition, with this unusual humidity it destroys the stock immediately.
Cauliflower is being sold at a rate between Rs 100 to Rs 120 per kilograms in areas of Virar, Chembur and Kandivali and Rs 40 in Thane, while Rs 80 in South Mumbai. Similarly, the rates of onions and tomatoes have increased and they are sold at a rate between Rs 40 to Rs 50 throughout the city.
Andheri resident Huma said, “Except for tomatoes, the price of every vegetable has skyrocketed. Cauliflower costs Rs 120 now, a few days back when I bought them, it was Rs 80. In the end, I just bought onions, tomatoes and other essential vegetables.” Wholesale prices have increased by 20 per cent and the retail amount has almost doubled.
1 Rs = 0.015 USD
Source: freepressjournal.in
