People worry a lot as vegetable prices soar

Parigi: Even as summer heat increased, the prices of vegetable have soured beyond the reach of consumers. The prices of most of the vegetables to the Parigi market have doubled this month. The poor and middle-class people have reduced their buying of vegetables as prices have doubled.

A month ago, ridge gourd cost about Rs 40, but the same vegetable costs around Rs 80 in Parigi market today. Similarly, the prices of okra, tomato, carrots and bottle gourd have doubled in the last month.

A family which spends Rs 500 per weak a month ago is forced to shell more than Rs 1000 today. As a result, some families are forced to cut down their expenditure by reducing the quantity of vegetable consumption or altogether avoiding vegetables.

Generally, in the Kharif season, farmers prefer growing vegetables along with rice due to water availability. They cultivate dry crops in Rabi as they fear water scarcity during the season.

This season too, farmers reduced the cultivation of vegetables fearing water shortage and this resulted in the sudden hike in the prices this summer. As the summer progressed, the supply of the vegetables to the markets reduced resulting in doubling and even tripling the prices.

It is unfortunate that intermediaries who buy the produce from farmers benefit from the hike. As a result, both farmers and consumers stand to lose. The weekly markets are conducted only twice a week, i.e., on Friday and Saturday, and intermediaries exploit consumers by raising vegetables on the remaining days of the week. It is time market officials ensured that consumers and farmers are not exploited by intermediaries.

By Mohd Wajid