Anantapur: Upward trend of veggie prices hits middle-class families hard

Anantapur: Middle class housewives are an agitated lot with vegetables prices being continuously on an upward swing starting with corona lockdown followed by continuous floods, rains which restricted the transportation and thereby reduced movement of food and essential commodities resulting in spiraling prices.

Padmavathi, a housewife of Saradanagar, complains that the prices of vegetables and onions were on the higher side since the onset of coronavirus. The decline of the pandemic was followed by continuous floods and incessant rains which made transportation of vegetables expensive. "I can't understand why government is unable to control prices," she muttered. Another housewife Sabita says that one-day nationwide boycott of purchase of onions would bring down the prices of onions.

A detailed survey conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Program implementation has revealed how restricted transportation, floods, errant rains, unavailability of produce and higher fuel rates has significantly pushed up vegetable prices across the country. It may be noted that prices of essential vegetables such as potatoes, onions and pulses have risen significantly since last month.

Onion and potato prices in some retail markets across the country have reached Rs 100 a kg while essential vegetable prices are nearing Rs 80 a kg in retail markets. Market specialists have said the rise in prices could continue for next few months due to extended monsoons, which have damaged ready crops and led to a supply crunch.

In fact, wholesale prices of onions, potatoes and tomatoes are also rising due to lower supply amid extended rains across the nation. Potatoes, tomatoes and onions are some of the cheapest staple food items that households use daily, but the rising prices have made them nervous as income levels remain low due to the pandemic. People voluntarily reduced the consumption of onions and vegetables. As vegetable prices keep rising day by day people have to bear the torture.

While middle and low-income households still have the option to buy lower quantities, the real burden of rising food prices falls on the poorest households in the country. The incomes of workers employed in the informal sector including migrant labourers have been severely hit. Most of these migrant workers have failed to secure pre-Covid-19 income levels even after the government relaxed lockdown restrictions.

Some of the severely affected people include maids, construction and factory workers, rickshaw pullers, cab drivers, small shop owners and daily wage labourers. Hit hard by the lockdown, majority of these informal workers have no savings and extra income to purchase commodities.