Chennai: Vegetable prices continue to soar with even tomato prices have touched between Rs 50 – Rs 60/kg. Depleting groundwater, increase in labor and transportation costs and diversion of supplies from producing markets are the leading reasons for increasing vegetable prices say traders.
While prices may ease by Rs 5 in the coming months for the vegetables, consumers must brace for price rise they add. However, onion prices have come down with supplies coming from Madhya Pradesh to the city.
V.S. Soundaryarajan, trader at the Koyambedu wholesale market says, “Onion bags which were at Rs 1500 ten days back were prized at Rs 1200 on Saturday as the supplies from MP have reached. Further, onion prices would slide down by next month as second crop from Andhra Pradesh would arrive.”
Tomatoes priced at Rs 60 for the past one week has given a scare to consumers, traders say that it will continue to be high. Attributing the price rise of tomato to diversion of supplies from producing markets to other states, the traders say, “Supplies from Karnataka have been diverted to Maharashtra and Bihar leading to reduced supplies here. There were 60 trucks of tomatoes coming to Koyambedu market everyday but now there are only 40.”
Traders point out that government needs to step in and check that such diversions do not happen. Nearly sixty percent of tomatoes to the city come from the stat of Karnataka. Traders suggest consumers to go for vegetables like drumstick, snake gourd, brinjal and green plantain which have maintained a below Rs 30 mark over the month. Vegetables from hilly areas including carrots, beetroots will continue to be costly.
