6 days ago
Patnaites feel pocket pinch as vegetable prices rise
Patna: While heavy rain since the last week of July has turned out to be a boon for the cultivators of paddy and other Kharif crops, it is proving detrimental to vegetable cultivation, leading to a sharp increase in their prices.
Vegetable sellers are buying them at significantly higher rates, which is then passed on to consumers.
Dilip Kumar
, a local vendor, reported purchasing sponge gourd for Rs 50 per kg on Thursday, which were Rs 44 a day before, okra for Rs 55 per kg and pointed gourd for Rs 60 per kg. Tomatoes, a kitchen staple, are now retailing for Rs 1,600 for 25kg, which were Rs 1,400 earlier.
Mukesh Kumar Pandey, a local wholesaler at Mithapur said that sponge gourd, which was sold for Rs 15-20 per kg just 15 days ago, is now priced at Rs 40 per kg.
Similarly, the prices of bottle gourd has doubled, from Rs 150-200 for 15 pieces to Rs 300 now.
Consumers are, of course, feeling the pinch. A resident of Rajiv Nagar, Anju Devi, said she used to buy a large quantity of various vegetables for a week, but now she had to cut down on it.
Another resident, Shobha Rani, said as the prices of vegetables increase every monsoon, they reduce consumption of green vegetables and include more variety of pulses in diet.
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Abdul Sattar, a senior climate scientist at Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, said the excessive moisture and water stagnation have severely damaged an estimated 20-30% of vegetable crops. "Vegetables growing in medium and low-lying land have been the most affected," he said.
The rising water level of river Ganga has further compounded the problem, flooding diyara regions and destroying all crops cultivated there, leading to a decline in overall quality. Cauliflower saplings, which are in the crucial transplanting stage, have also been severely hit.
With the meteorological department forecasting heavy rain in the coming days, the soaring prices are expected to continue.
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