Now, it’s not only onion that has been bringing tears in the consumers’ eyes for the past few months, but other vegetables too, including potato, that are making people virtually cry due to their skyrocketing prices.
Moreover, this is happening in November when prices of vegetables are supposed to be cheaper, compared to May or June. The reason being shortage of production due to heavy rains in the third and fourth week of October that have destroyed the crops including vegetables.
It’s more pinching now as the demand of vegetables has increased manifold due to the month of Kartik. For religious Odias, this month is deemed to be very auspicious; hence most people go vegetarian. But the skyrocketing prices have added to the woes of the middle and lower middle class people.
“The vegetable price is almost 3-4 times more this October — November in comparison to previous years,” says Sasmita Mahakul, a housewife. “So, I have to manage the kitchen very carefully in view of our low family income. Many times we skip vegetable curry in dinner,” she adds.
In the steel city, while the price of tomato is Rs 60 per kg, ladies finger Rs 60, bitter guard Rs 70-80, parbal Rs 80, cabbage Rs 40, cauliflower Rs 60, arum Rs 40, beans Rs 60-70, cucumber Rs 30-40, yam Rs 80-100, coriander leaf Rs 100, green chilly Rs 80-100, drum stick Rs 140 per kg and ginger Rs 160-200 per kg.
Usually, by end of October, vegetables, mostly from Nuagaon and Bisra blocks, flood the markets here. “But the current market price is very high due to short supply of vegetables,” says farmer of Nuagaon Birsa Mahato.
Usually in November potato is sold at Rs 8-10 per kg. But this year it is Rs 25-30 per kg. Wholesaler Satyanarayan Prasad reasons, “For potato, we depend on West Bengal. But due to restriction in supply of potato by West Bengal government, its price is increasing.”
Civil Supplies Officer Udit Pattanaik says, “To control the potato price a meeting of wholesalers was recently held, but everything depends upon the decision of West Bengal. Unless they resume the supply, the demand pull inflation will automatically be there.” As potato is being imported from outside, its price rise is understood, but the price hike of other vegetables has shocked the consumers here.