THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The rising food inflation in the Middle East has made Onam celebrations more expensive for Malayalees this time. Nevertheless, since home away Malayalees celebrate with increased fervour, the markets become more happening during Onam. “A decent Onasadya will cost around 40 to 50 UAE dinars in (around Rs 700 to Rs 860) in Dubai. It will go well up to Rs 900 in upmarket areas. Vegetable dishes are more expensive than the non-vegetarian. Two sambharams here cost as much as a plate of beef fry,” said Sreejith Sreekumar, an electrical supervisor.
“Since Onam is the harvest festival of fruits and vegetables we need to buy a lot of them.” In Qatar, an Onasadya will be as expensive as Rs 850, says Basil Abraham, a resident of Doha. The hypermarkets, some owned by Malayalees, has exported hundreds of extra tonnes of fruits and vegetables in past weeks. Apart from this were flowers and banana leaves. “The banana leaves come bubble wrapped in ventilated cardboard boxes which are refrigerated. Quality of sadya as a whole can only be better here. Various associations have already started Onam celebrations,” said Unnikrishnan Nair, a food quality control staff of an airline. UAE now depends on places like Jordan and Tunisia for vegetable imports. A kg of tomato can cost Rs 75, and a small dry coconut can cost around Rs 45. As per reports, the rise in the cost of food and beverages were the main contributor to overall inflation in many Middle East countries.
