Sellers bear dip in profit margin, households cut corners as vegetable supply shortage due to rains shoots up prices in Surat
Over 70% of vegetables sold in Surat Agriculture Produce Market Committee come from Maharashtra. The shortage of vegetables has led to up to 40% hike in the price of vegetables
3 min read
The expensive cost of vegetables has also forced many households to cut corners. Smita Patel (32), a housewife who lives in the Adajan area, said, “My husband Jignesh works at a private firm. With Gujarat’s Saurashtra region along with the neighbouring state of Maharashtra being lashed by heavy rainfall since July, a shortage of vegetables is being witnessed at the Surat APMC, leading to an up to 40% hike in the price of vegetables.
Sources in the Surat Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) said that the prices of vegetables consumed by Surat residents has increased due to a shortage of supply from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Saurashtra.
Over 70% of vegetables sold at Surat APMC come from Maharashtra.
While 20 kg of cauliflower now costs Rs 500-Rs 600, as compared to Rs 300–Rs 400 in August, garlic that was being sold at Rs 700-Rs 800 last month is now selling at Rs 900-Rs 1,000.
Several other varieties of vegetables such as brinjal, lemon, green onion, ivy gourd, drumstick, and bottle gourd have seen a substantial rise.
Surat APMC director Babu Shaikh said, “Due to the heavy rainfall in Saurashtra and Maharashtra, there is around 30%-40% shortage in supply of vegetables at Surat APMC. Consequently, the retail price has increased by up to 40%.”
This comes a year after Surat APMC set a record by selling 3,750 tonnes of vegetables.
On a regular day, over 200 trucks loaded with vegetable products from Maharashtra come to Surat APMC. From Saurashtra, fewer than 50 such trucks make their way to the APMC.
“The vegetables that come from Maharashtra include tomato, lemon, ginger, cabbage, cauliflower, brinjal, beans, tuver, onion, green peas, chilli, bottle gourd, etc. From Saurashtra, we get ridge gourd, garlic, cluster beans, etc. Other vegetables, such as ladies’ finger, pointed gourd, butter beans, ring gourd, cluster beans, etc,. come from different villages in Surat and South Gujarat,” Shaikh added.
Sources in Surat APMC said that due to heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, a portion of the vegetables produced in Maharashtra had been diverted to the state, resulting in a supply shortage in Gujarat.
Jayesh Mehta, a seller at Adajan vegetable market in Surat, said, “We are getting a reduced supply of vegetables from the traders at Surat APMC. This has resulted in a price hike on vegetables that we buy. We have to sell them to our customers at a very small profit margin. We have to bear with the loss to ensure that our loyal customers do not switch to other sellers.”
The expensive cost of vegetables has also forced many households to cut corners. Smita Patel (32), a housewife who lives in the Adajan area, said, “My husband Jignesh works at a private firm. Earlier, we used to keep a weekly stock of vegetables in our freezer. But due to the recent price hike, we have reduced our stock. Since I am a housewife, I have to look after the monthly expenses from a limited source of income.”
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