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The Times of India
The Times of India
National
Himanshu Kaushik | TNN

Ahmedabad: Lemon demand down 35%, prices stay high

AHMEDABAD: Lemon prices in the city — wholesale and retail — are not coming down despite demand falling by around 35%.

The citrus fruit continues to cost between Rs 360 and Rs 400 a kg in retail in western parts of the city, while prices are between Rs 120 and Rs 200 a kg in the wholesale market.

Chirag Prajapati, a wholesale dealer at the Jamalpur APMC, said, “There is barely any supply of lemons from within Gujarat, and the state has to depend on supply from South India. The city is presently getting 40 tons of lemon every day from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The entire country is being supplied by these two states and thus lemon prices there are skyrocketing. Even at the APMC here, lemons are selling for Rs 130 to 140 a kg. Then one has to pay Rs 8 a kg for transportation and Rs 10 per kg for brokerage.

Thus it costs a wholesaler at the APMC Rs 158 a kg.” He said retailers usually bought 50 to 60 kg are now just buying 35 to 40, as demand has reduced.

Dashrath Prajapati, who runs a large vegetable shop in Chandkheda, says, “I use to get about 40kg of lemon from the APMC but now with demand falling, I only get 20 to 25 kg a day. I calculate wastage and add my profit and have priced it at around Rs 256. In Chandkheda one can find prices ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 360 a kg.”

A big trader in Satellite who asked not to be named said he gets high quality lemons which are larger and thus Rs 100 will buy just about four lemons.

He also said that high prices has pushed demand down and is currently buying only 20kg a day, against 50kg that he used to buy.

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