Vegetable prices soar as heavy rain spoils produce

CHANDIGARH: Heavy rain over the past two weeks has caused the prices of several vegetables to shoot up.

While the jump is anywhere between 10 to 50% for most vegetables, the price of lady finger has doubled from Rs 25 to Rs 50 a kg.

With further heavy rains predicted in the region by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and mandis unlikely to open anytime soon, the prices may rise further.

“Not only locally grown vegetables like bottle gourd and cucumbers, many vegetables coming from Himachal Pradesh, such as tomatoes, cabbage and peas, have also been spoiled in the recent spells of rain. Short supply is causing the prices to go up,” UT market committee officials said.

Explaining the plight of farmers, Prahlad SIngh Bhamia, who

is based in Punjab’s Ferozepur district, said, “Farmers have been the worst hit due to shutting down of mandis. We didn’t plant enough crops due to uncertainty of sales. The recent rain only compounded the problem. It kept us from planting more vegetables and also spoiled the ripe ones.”

Meanwhile, with the season for mangoes and pomegranates

wrapping up, their prices have also spiked. Available for Rs 50-Rs 70 a kg two weeks ago, mangoes are being sold for up to Rs 130 a kg now, while the price of pomegranates has risen from Rs 120 to Rs 140 per kg. Market committee officials said both fruits may not be available in September, as their supply had decreased, which had led to the jump in prices.