Vegetable prices come down marginally in Mumbai markets

Even as the farmers’ strike moved into the sixth day, there is a slight relief for the consumers on Tuesday with the prices reducing marginally. Experts say the supplies will be affected for next few days but the prices will definitely reduce. But the grim truth is that there are no greens or leafy vegetables available due to the strike.

“There are no green leafy vegetables in the market and the price of coriander has spiralled from Rs. 20 to Rs 100. The other prices of the vegetables are the same except cabbage at Rs 60 per kg and tomatoes at Rs 40 per kg,” said G. R. Mishra, resident of Kalachowki.

The impact of the strike on the markets in Byculla, Dadar and Colaba was negligible. In the Byculla market, tomatoes on Monday cost from Rs. 80- Rs. 100 but have now dropped to Rs. 50-60 per kg. Price of cabbage dropped from Rs. 80 to Rs. 50 to Rs. 60. However, the cluster and french Beans are still out of reach, costing Rs. 100 to Rs. 120 per kg. “There has been no shortage of vegetables in the market, though the prices have definitely increased and are still expensive. The price of okra and cauliflower remained at Rs. 80. While the prices of potatoes and onions have remained sable at Rs. 16 to Rs 18 per kg,” said Mulchand, one of the vendors at Dadar market.

The situation of availability and prices of fruits too is the same as vegetables. Narendra Patil, Mathadi leader at Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Vashi said, “Usually, around 800-900 trucks of vegetables arrive at Vashi market, however, due to the strike, the number of vehicles have reduced to 300-400.”