Kakinada: Prices of vegetables soar

Kakinada: Prices of vegetables skyrocketed beyond the reach of common man. On the face of soaring prices, the arrivals have come down drastically, leaving the common man with no other choice but to restrict his consumption to a few vegetables like drumstick, tomatoes and leafy vegetables. The quality of vegetables at Rythu Bazaars is not good. The incessant rains that lashed the East Godavari district had damaged crops. There is a drop in arrival of vegetables in Rythu Bazaars and retails shops in the district. The Rythu Bazaars, which are popular for their affordable prices, are also selling the vegetables at high prices. The prices of all types of vegetables have suddenly soared due to the heavy rains in the district. The prices of vegetables such as brinjal, beans, cabbage, bitter gourd, carrot and others skyrocketing.

As per the instructions of District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy, marketing officials set up special counters for onions at Rythu Bazars. In these counters, each person can purchase only one kg of the onions per day at the subsidized cost of Rs 40. Rythu Bazaar Estate Officer T Venkat Rajan told 'The Hans India' that vegetable prices could go up further, if the heavy rainfall continues. Whenever rains occur continuously, the supply goes down and the prices go up. It might take another one month for vegetable prices to come back to normal. He said that the new crop of vegetables and onions will be harvested within one or two months.

The prices of vegetables on Monday at Rythu Bazaar per kg were brinjal Rs 70, capsicum 86, ivy gourd 40, ladies finger 36, green chillies 46, snake guard each piece 25, bitter guard 56 and potato Rs 38.