The prices of vegetables and green leaves have gone up in Kalaburagi district as supply has been affected due to damage of fresh vegetables in a large area caused by incessant rainfall in the last two months.
A visit to temporary vegetable markets functioning at various places in the city revealed that the prices of bottle gourd, bitter gourd, brinjal, lady’s finger, capsicum, potato, tomato and green leaves, including coriander, spinach, and fenugreek, have sky-rocketed.
The price of almost all vegetables has increased from ₹ 50 per kg to ₹ 80 per kg. Capsicum, lady’s finger, cauliflower, carrot and cucumber are being sold at ₹ 100 per kg, which was earlier available at ₹ 60 per kg.
Garlic is being sold at ₹ 200 per kg.
Among the green leaves, fenugreek leaves (methi) is super expensive in the market with a bunch being sold at ₹ 40 in retail.
As the standing vegetable crops have suffered damage, arrivals in the wholesale market have fallen by 40 %.
Vegetable sellers Siddu and Veeresh said that vegetables were now being transported from far-off places. “Most of the retailers are bringing vegetable stock from neighbouring taluks and even from neighbouring districts. “As transportation charge is a major component while fixing prices of vegetables and fruits, this additional burden has to be ultimately recovered from retailers and the consumers,” said another vegetable seller Dashrath.
Yet another retail vegetable seller Mohammad Jelani said that “a bag of 10 kg vegetables was priced at ₹ 200 to ₹ 250 in the wholesale market during the month of June and July; now, I pay around ₹ 400 to ₹ 600 per for the same quantity. And, a bunch of methi leaves is being charged around ₹ 25 for retailers themselves,” he added.
