‘Vegetable prices shot up most in Lucknow markets’

The rise was maximum across over 25 cities in the country this month, reveals a study by Assocham

LUCKNOW : The rise in wholesale and retail prices of different vegetables in Lucknow was maximum across over 25 cities in the country this month owing to festive demand, says a study by Assocham.

The study found that arrival of vegetables in Lucknow dropped from over 28,400 metric tonnes in September to about 18,300 metric tonnes in October.

Price trends for various vegetables like bitter gourd, brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, chilly, okra, onion, peas, potato, tomato and other vegetables for September and October were analysed.

The wholesale price of vegetables in Lucknow stood at Rs 2,263.8 per quintal in September that rose to over Rs 3,877.3 per quintal in October, revealed the study.

Similarly, retail prices stood at Rs 3,145.3 per quintal in September, which rose to Rs 3,302.9 per quintal in October, it said.

“The wholesale and retail prices of different vegetables in Lucknow were maximum, rising by over 71% and 52 % respectively in October over September, while supply of vegetables in the city declined by over 35%,” it said, citing data compiled by the stateowned National Horticulture Board. “Lack of basic infrastructure puts significant strain on arrival of vegetables, which results in more wastage during peak times of production and demand. Besides, because of their perishable nature, producers have to sell the produce immediately as such they fail to gain when prices rise,” said Assocham secretary general DS Rawat.

The study also found that supply of vegetables across India declined by about 4%, their average price rose by over 12% and by about 9% at wholesale and retail markets in October owing to rise in festive demand, noted the analysis.

Rawat said improper bagging without crating, dearth of temperature-controlled vehicles, lack of cold chain facilities, primitive food processing technology and other such factors collectively resulted in poor post-harvest storage and handling of agriculture produce in most parts of the country.

The average wholesale price of vegetables across major cities in India was about Rs 1,873 per quintal in September and it rose to Rs 2,100 per quintal in October.

Similarly, the retail price rose from Rs 3,051 per quintal to Rs 3,320 per quintal, noted the Assocham analysis.

The study also suggested improving supply chain management in fruits and vegetables by adopting global best practices in storage, packaging, handling, transportation, value-added services and other areas to meet India’s demand of fruits and vegetables.