Soaring vegetable prices dampen festive spirit  

Even as the festive season of Navratri is around the corner, the rising prices of vegetables are giving a headache to the common man. Prices of all vegetables, including potatoes, tomatoes and onions are touching the sky and there seems to be no hope of a respite any time soon.

Vegetable traders say that due to heavy rains during the last phase of this monsoon season, the arrival of vegetables in the market has been at a low due to the crops being affected.

In New Delhi's Azadpur mandi, the wholesale price of potatoes has soared from Rs 16 to Rs 51 per kg in the last one week. The wholesale price of onions has reduced marginally but their retail price remains unchanged. The wholesale price of onions varies between Rs 12.5 and Rs 35 per kg while their retail price is between Rs 45 and Rs 60 per kg.

Tomato prices had decreased marginally a few days ago but now they have again risen. The wholesale price of tomatos varies from Rs 6 to Rs 42 per kg while the retail price is between Rs 60 to Rs 70 per kg.

Vegetable seller Balveer from Greater Noida said as the arrival of vegetables in the wholesale mandis is quite less and the prices are high they too sell the vegetables at high prices.

Chambers of Azadpur Fruits and Vegetables Association President M. R. Kriplani says that the prices of fruits and vegetables are high due to the supply being less than the demand.

Traders say the festival of Navratri is round the corner during which the majority of people in North India do not eat non-vegetarian food so the demand for vegetables increases. But there is no hope of an early improvement in the arrival of vegetables in the mandis and, therefore, there is no scope of the vegetable prices coming down.

The retail rates per kg of vegetables in the Delhi-NCR region on October 12 were: Potatoes (Rs 45-55), onions (Rs 45-60), tomatoes (Rs 60-70), cauliflower(Rs 120-150), cabbage (Rs 70-80), gourd/ghee (Rs 60), Luffa (Rs 60), Okra (Rs60), cucumber (Rs 50-60), pumpkin (Rs50), brinjal (Rs 60), capsicum (Rs 120-150), spinach (Rs 60), bitter gourd (Rs 80), parwal (Rs 80), raw papaya (Rs 50), raw bananas (Rs 50), tinda (Rs 100), kundru (Rs 60) and peas (Rs 200).