Vegetable prices hit rock-bottom!

Tomatoes at Rs 5 and onions at Rs 10 a kg;other vegetables also go cheaper due to bumper crop

The year 2013 was a difficult phase for the common man, when the price of vegetables was dearer, owing to poor yield resulting in high inflation. But this year, there is a reason to cheer as vegetable rates have taken a nosedive.

The fall in the prices has been remarkable when compared with the prices a few months ago with some vegetables registering 65-75 per cent decline.

Brinjal, potato, tomatoes, onions and carrots also recorded a steep decline in prices.

On Monday, the prices of onions, which were being sold at Rs 80 to 100 per kg, hardly four months ago, are now sold at Rs 5-10 per kg, at Monda Market while at Rythu Bazar it is sold at Rs 9 depending on the variety and quality.

The drop in price of onions is due to two reasons; good yield of crop at Kurnool, which produces grade-II crop, and assured supply from Maharashtra, which accounts for around 32 per cent of supplies to the state. Back in August 2013, the Maharashtra government uncovered the plot hatched by traders operating from major onion markets in Nashik in Maharashtra, as it sought to figure out why a relatively small drop in production led to sharply reduced market arrivals.

It was widely believed that this hoarding was a ploy to influence Assembly elections in the North, especially Delhi.

The price (per kg) of carrot was Rs 20, lady’s finger-Rs 20, chamagadda or arvi- Rs 40, green peas-Rs 25 and capsicum-Rs 30.

The cheapest vegetables on the menu are tomatoes which are being sold at as low as Rs 4 per kg and brinjal at Rs 10 a kg at Monda Market and Rythu Bazaars.

A vegetable vendor at Monda Market said, “Rates would be low for the next few days as there was a good yield of crops, particularly tomato. The latest price crash is a moment to cherish, in view of the exorbitant prices we had been paying until recently.”

Raw mangoes are the only exception, which are being sold for Rs 15 to 20 per piece, as it is scarcely available.

There has been an increase in supply as compared to previous months. Kothapet Rythu Bazaar, for instance, received 1,000 quintals of vegetables in a single day this month as compared to the average arrivals of 470 quintals per day in July, last year. The arrivals on some days have crossed 1,300 quintals too.

The Rythu Bazaars have an additional blessing, in vegetable cultivation being the primary occupation in many parts of the Rangareddy district. Mandals such as Shamshabad, Maheshwaram, Kandukur, Yacharam, Ibrahimpatnam, Shamirpet, Medchal, Shankarpally, Chevella, Moinabad and Vikarabad are known vegetable hubs.