Veggies blow a big hole in pocket

​Hyderabad: The prolonged dry spell and delayed southwest monsoons have jacked up the prices of almost all the vegetables in both the Telugu-speaking States.

Tomato, French beans, capsicum, potato, drumsticks, ladyfinger, coriander leaves and other greens have gone beyond the reach of the common man. The prices are slightly cheaper in Andhra Pradesh.

A survey of various markets by The Hans Indian in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Guntur indicates that vegetables like tomato, brinjal, cauliflower, garlic, cabbage and okra have witnessed a runaway rise in the prices. According to agriculture market officials, this situation would continue for next 15 days.

Even the common man’s most sought after vegetable ‘mirchi’ and tomato has touched a new high. While the prices of tomatoes varies between Rs 80 and Rs 100 per kg in super markets in Telangana, the chillies cost over Rs 100 per kg. Similarly, French beans cost around Rs 104 per kg and ladyfinger Rs 50 a kg.

Interestingly, the prices in Rythu Bazaars are comparatively less. Here tomatoes are being sold at Rs 50- Rs 55 a kg and French beans at Rs 70 to Rs 75, Green chilly Rs 60 a kg. However, a bunch of coriander leaves which was sold at Rs 15 is now sold between Rs 25 and Rs 30.

“Arrivals of vegetables are much less due to prolonged summer. The situation would not improve either till the government intervenes or monsoon sets in,” said Sai Kumar, agriculture officer in Rythu Bazar. Narrating the woes of traders, a vendor at Rythu Bazar said that besides the high prices in the wholesale markets, the quality of vegetables was poor.

“This is adding to the losses of the retail traders,” he said. The situation is slightly better in Andhra Pradesh. In Vijayawada, tomatoes in Rythu Bazars are being sold at Rs 59 as against Rs 24 till recently. Brinjal is sold at Rs 24. Ladyfinger can be bought at Rs 29 a kg; green chillies at Rs 40 per kilo and bitter gourd at Rs 30, snake gourd each at Rs 10, capsicum Rs 72. In super markets, the prices are higher by 30 percent.

According to Swarajya Maidan Rythu Bazar Estate Officer M Srinivasa Sastry, tomatoes mostly come from Madanpalle in Chittoor district. They are also cultivated in Western Krishna district and parts of Guntur district.

In Visakhapatnam, common vegetables like brinjals, lady finger, ridge gourd (beerakaya), Little gourd (dondakaya) have gone by over 30 percent during the last one-and-a- half month.

There is little harvest in the villages due to water shortage and the outskirts farm land has been reduced due to the escalating real estate business.

Tomatoes are being imported from Benguluru.
Vegetables rates in Tirupati are comparatively less than in other parts of Andhra Pradesh. Here tomato costs Rs 50-60 (first quality), ladyfinger Rs 35-40, potato Rs 20-25, beans Rs 80.

The reason for this according to officials is that Tirupati being the famous pilgrim centre with a floating population of about one lakh coupled with large number of educational institutions, including engineering colleges, the city gets supply of vegetables in large quantity from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and coastal Vijayawada.

By: Aneri Shah
(With inputs from Sowmya Sruti, KMP Patnaik and G Sridhar)