Bhopal: Prices Of Vegetables Sky-Rockets As Supply Nosedives Due To Rain

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Owing to incessant rainfall and the fall in the supply of vegetables in the state capital have skyrocketed the prices.

Mehboob, who set up a vegetable shop in Bhopal's Vitthal market, said, "Coriander, chillies and tomatoes had got rotten due to water, and tomatoes which were earlier being sold at 140 kg were priced at Rs 160 kg on Saturday. Tomatoes have been damaged here. Now they are coming from Bengaluru. Chilli, coriander have also been sold in bulk for Rs 125 per kg. Tomato is being sold wholesale for 2200 to 2300 rupees per carat." Spells of the heavy rain have led to vegetable supply crunch in the city, resulting in an escalation of their prices.

"Tomatoes are being sold at Rs 140 and Rs 160 per kg in retail. If there is further rainfall, the prices of tomatoes will increase in the same way," added Mehboob.

The rates of most of the vegetables have doubled in retail as well as wholesale market. The prices are expected to rise further as heavy showers have damaged the vegetable crops.

Heavy rain has inundated farms damaging ready-to-harvest vegetable crops in the state. Amid rising demand and restricted supply, the prices of vegetables are rising by the day.

On the other hand, Smita, a resident of Bhopal, said that the budget for her kitchen had completely fallen apart and one has to think before buying tomatoes.

The prices are perhaps the highest in Bhopal which was at the eye of the heavy rain this season and depends mostly on vegetables transported from other parts of the state.

Ram Tiwari, a resident of Bhopal, said, "Prices of tomatoes are touching the sky, today we have not included tomatoes in the vegetable. Looks like tomatoes will have to be given up for a few days."