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Wash Out
Wash Out, Common Vegetables, North-East Monsoon and Cyclone Phailin, Hot Potato. Luxury thy name is vegetable, considering most of the common vegetables are now well beyond the reach of the common people
Rain-hit farms make vegetables dearer
WASH OUT
50 % OF THE FIELDS IN RANGA REDDY, MAHABUBNAGAR AND MEDAK ARE INUNDATED; CROPS IN OVER 10,000 HECTARES DAMAGED.
Luxury thy name is vegetable, considering most of the common vegetables are now well beyond the reach of the common people. The hyperactive North-East monsoon and cyclone Phailin have made it a hot potato. If the prices of onions are high due to hoarding by some traders, the prices of common vegetables such as tomato, carrot, beetroot and green leafy vegetables are hitting the roof due to reduced supplies.
Although about 150 truckloads of vegetables arrive in Hyderabad every day, there has been a 30 per cent reduction in supplies in view of the continual downpour in the last four days, leading to spurt in prices. Currently farmers blame it on rains. Shiva, a farmer in Toopran, says, “In a matter of three days I lost 80 per cent of the crop.” Cumulatively, Ranga Reddy, Mahabubnagar and Medak have lost vegetables in about 10,239 hectares due to rains.
The loss of crops has had a direct effect on the vegetable prices in Hyderabad. Prices of tomato and carrot have shot up by more than 30 per cent. Raghu, a small time trader at Gudimalkapur, says, “The prices are going to increase by another 15 % in the coming days due to the shortage.” About 50% of the vegetables come to Hyderabad from Ranga Reddy. D Uma Devi, assistant director, Horticulture Department, Ranga Reddy says,
“Standing crops in 3,139 hectares, out of a total of 13,000 hectares, have been lost.” These are preliminary reports and the actual losses could be much more. A team is being sent to all the affected mandals for assessment. Most of the fields in Ranga Reddy are inundated, particularly in mandals such as Kandukur, Chevella, Pudur, Vikarabad, Shankarpally and Nawabpet. Even the vegetables that find their way to the market are of poor quality. Anuradha, a resident of Marredpally, says, “Half the potatoes and carrots that I bought were rotten.
” A supervisor at a super market in Santhosh Nagar says, “By the time the vegetables reach the supermarket they are useless.” According to the Horticulture Department, in Chevalla alone crops in 1,500 hectares out of 2760 hectares have been destroyed. Traders say that the price of tomato, currently ruling at Rs 38 per kg, might touch Rs 50 in the next few days. Carrot, normally sold at Rs 20, has touched Rs 28 already.
There has been an increase of 30 to 40 % in the prices of vegetables. Tomato prices may turn you red Officials at the Horticulture Department, Ranga Reddy, say that almost 75 % of tomato crop has been lost and the prices are bound to shoot up. Meghna, a housewife, says, “Diwali is round the corner and people’s expenses go up during the festival. With the increase in the prices of essential vegetables such as tomatoes and potatoes that are used in almost every dish, it is going to make a dent in the budget.”
