Hyderabad: Vegetables Prices soar up 50percent during needy corona times

Hyderabad: Denizens are now in a state of confusion. On one hand, they are being advised to take healthy food to build immunity levels to beat corona, and on the other the prices of vegetables are increasing every day while their income had witnessed a dip in the last four months.

This has forced the people to cut the purchase of vegetables like tomato, potato, carrot and capsicum, etc, as their prices have been doubled in the retail market and Rythu Bazaars in Hyderabad and in districts. The price of tomato jumped to Rs 60 per kg from Rs 30 in just a week and potato is now costing Rs 40 per kg as against Rs 25 two weeks ago.

Carrot, capsicum and green chilli prices have also shot up to Rs 80 a kg in the market. Among other vegetables, whose prices have shot up, are brinjal, ladyfinger, beans, bitter gourd and ridge gourd. Retail vegetable seller K Narayana at Kothapet Rythu Bazar said that the main reason for the abnormal increase in the prices was on account of shortage of vegetable supplies for the last 10 days. The supply at wholesale markets is less and this was having effect on the retailers.

When contacted, Marketing department officials said that steep decline in tomato imports from Andhra Pradesh was one of the main reasons for spiralling prices. Potato prices also touched all-time high as the supplies from Maharashtra and Karnataka were hit due to various reasons, including delay in the new crop production.

The change of crop season in Telangana was also one of the reasons for the increase in the prices of vegetables. Officials said that the prices would not go down unless local produce is made available in the market. It is expected that it will take at least two weeks to get the local produce in the market and till then people will have to bear with the high prices.