Kolkata: No respite from soaring veggie prices despite daily supervision by task force

Kolkata: Despite regular supervision by the members of the task force set up to keep retail prices of essential commodities in check for the last couple of weeks, the rising price of vegetables in Kolkata markets continue to burn a hole in common man's pocket.

The prices of chili and ginger, both staple ingredients in most households, have not come down below Rs 300 a kg since the past two weeks.

According to retailers, since the wholesale price of ginger is so high, its impact is felt in the retail markets as well.

According to the member of the task force and the general secretary of the Forum for Traders’ Organisation, Rabindranath Koley, external factors are responsible for the skyrocketing price of ginger.

“Although ginger is produced in West Bengal, the quantity is insufficient to meet market requirements while the quality is also not that good. West Bengal imports a substantial quantity of ginger from Manipur. But because of the ongoing tension in the northeastern state, that supply has been affected to a great extent. This is a major reason for the skyrocketing price of the commodity,” he said.

As regards to chili, Koley said because of the prolonged dry spell, the production of the crop has been affected in the state.

“This season we had to import a substantial amount of chili from Karnataka. There have been complains of hoarding chili, but the members of the task force are active in checking this problem, and we expect to bring the price within reasonable limits in the next seven to 10 days,” Koley said.

And it's not only ginger and chili, the prices of most essential vegetables in the retail markets are also quite high.

While tomato is priced between Rs 175 and Rs 200 a kg, the price for brinjal is hovering around Rs 160 per kg.

The prices of momordica, parbal, sponge gourd and yardlong bean are ranging between Rs 100 and Rs 120 a kg.

The price of ladies finger is comparatively lower at Rs 50 a kg, while the prices of different varieties of potatoes are ranging between Rs 22 and Rs 28 a kg. A pair of eggs is price at Rs 13.

One may ask as to why the prices are not coming down despite regular supervision by the task force members.

A member of the task, who did not wish to be named, said that they do not have any legal authority to take any step against any retailer selling products at exorbitant rates.

“At the most, we can make attempts to persuade or convince them,” he said.