Vegetable prices hit two-month low as Pongal celebrations turned on

Chennai: The good news for city households is that Pongal celebrations will turn out to be sweeter with vegetable prices hitting a two-month low and sales picking up at a steady pace.

Prices of onion and tomato, the two major ingredients for the plate, have come down by 20 per cent for the past two weeks with a kilogram of onion priced at Rs 20 and a kilogram of tomato costing Rs 30.

For the public thronging the market places in the city, the sudden dip in prices of vegetables barring beans and ginger varieties, has come as a relief.

“Reduction of prices of most essential vegetables has been a relief after the sudden hike in prices during the floods. We hope the prices will continue to stabilise in the days to come,” said Nagesh Kumar, a transport employee, who is a regular customer at the central market.

Arrival of trucks of vegetables from Anantapur, Kadappa, Hosur, Madurai and Bengaluru has increased in the last one week.  Nearly 280 vegetable trucks arrive in the market daily.

Except ladies finger that is priced at Rs 90 a kilo, all other vegetables such as beans varieties, brinjal, carrot, potatoes and bananas have witnessed a 20 percent dip in prices for the past two days.

The festivities hindered free movement of vehicles around the market at Koyambedu as trucks filled with sugarcane, tomato and flower varieties blocking the roads.

“We hope sales will improve in the next two days as prices may go down further,” said T. Murugan, a wholesale vegetable vendor.