Poor Monsoon Triggers Vegetables Price Rise

Poor monsoon had its impact on vegetables cultivation with prices of produce, particularly staple veggies like tomato and potato, showing rise across the country due to supply crunch. According to the market sources in mid-July, while potato sold at Rs 20 a kg in retail in Delhi, a kg of tomato cost as high as Rs 50. Likewise, cauliflower was available at Rs 60 a kg, capsicum at Rs 70/kg, bottle gourd at Rs 30 per kg, apple gourd at Rs 40 a kg, and bitter gourd at Rs 32/kg. Situation was no better in other metros. Potato sold at Rs 20 a kg in retail in Mumbai. While tomato was available at Rs 40 per kg, lady’s finger at Rs 80 per kg and beans at Rs 80 a kg in the western metropolitan. In Kolkata, potato sold at Rs 18-20

Sharad Pawar, Agriculture Minister

a kg and tomato at Rs 35 per kg. In Southern metropolis of Chennai, potato cost Rs 25-30 a kg and tomato Rs 38 per kg. Rajendra Sharma, General Secretary of Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Azadpur, which is Asia’s biggest wholesale market of fruits & ve g e t a b l e s , said that only half the daily requirements of tomato are arriving in the market. This is due to lower production because of delayed and scanty rains, he said. Subhash Chuk, General Secretary of Tomato Merchants As s o c i a t i o n , Azadpur pointed to short supply of tomato from Ka r n a t a k a , Maharas h t ra and Himachal Pradesh. Ac c o r d i n g to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), though monsoon rains have covered the entire country, it is still deficient by 23 percent and the situation in Karnataka and Maharashtra is worrisome. Concerned over deficient rains, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has said he is keeping his fingers crossed on prices of pulses and oilseeds.