Soaring vegetable prices add to common man’s woes

Already paying more for fuel and power, now the common man bears the brunt of skyrocketing prices of vegetables. Coriander leaves, which vegetable vendors usually give free of cost to buyers with other vegetables, are being sold for over Rs 400 per kg, that too in the wholesale market.

While in the retail market, coriander, also known as cilantro, is hardly available with vegetable vendors due to its high prices. Lucky Kumar from Lucky Vegetables, one of the main wholesale vegetable shops near Jalandhar Bypass, said prices of vegetables are soaring. “In the wholesale market, coriander leaves were sold for Rs 400 a kg today. In the retail market, the price was around Rs 450 a kg,” he said.

It is not just the coriander, the price of which is touching the sky, other vegetables such as onions, potatoes, tomatoes, lemon and capsicum are being sold at exorbitant prices in the retail market and homemakers have every reason to worry about.

Kajal, a homemaker, said she bought onions for Rs 80 a kg while potatoes at Rs 30-40 per kg and lemon at Rs 130 per kg from a vendor. The rates of capsicum were Rs 140-150 per kg. “We can still buy vegetables but for a poor family, these are becoming out of reach. They can hardly afford green leafy vegetables,” she said.

Arhtiyas said every year during shradhs and navratras, rates of vegetables were increased due to several reasons. At times, it is due to excessive rains in Himachal Pradesh, from where majority of the vegetables come from. Recently, prices of petrol and diesel had been hiked, hence, it leads to increase in cost of transportation also. Buyer remains a sufferer amid all this inflation and he has to pay more for basic commodities.

Running a family of five members, Uma, who works as a domestic help, said she was not able to buy green leafy vegetables due to hike in their prices. “Tomatoes are available for Rs 70 per kg. For a month or so, till the time prices come down, I will try to cook soya nuggets, potatoes and other such stuff,” she said.

At the same time, arhtiyas stock vegetables such as onions, potatoes and frozen peas after buying these at low prices and start selling the same to buyers when rates go up.