Supply crunch,festive season push up vegetable prices

The retailers are selling the same variety of tomatoes at Rs 70-80 per kg.

Secretary of grain market in Sector 26,G R Pillai,said,“We were receiving almost 1,500 crates of tomatoes daily till last week. This has now come down to only 300-400 crates. The supply has suddenly been affected in the last two-three days.”

“Tomatoes,mostly produced in Himachal Pradesh,are transported from the state throughout the region,but the quantity we are receiving is very less. From Nasik,we have only received two trucks of tomatoes on Thursday as against 12-15 trucks on normal days. This year,incessant rains at the times when it was not required and now the festive season,when the crops were not picked,affected the supply,” Pillai added.

Officials of the grain market also informed that local tomatoes from Haryana would arrive in the market in another 10 days. These are expected to be available at much cheaper prices.

Mahesh,a wholesale trader,said,“Despite the fact that the vegetable prices are soaring because of the festive season and also the wedding season,the demand is not affected at all.”

Meanwhile,tomatoes at Apni Mandi are being sold at Rs 70 per kg,while onions are being sold at Rs 60 per kg and peas at Rs 100 per kg.

The secretary of Apni Mandi,Kuldeep Singh said,“The rates have been increased in the past three to four days as the the supply has gone down. This is why rates of the vegetables have almost doubled.”