The retail prices of all vegetables have gone up in the Delhi-National Capital Region (Delhi-NCR) and they are expected to soar further in days to come due to a substantial increase in transportation cost brought on by the frequent hikes in fuel prices.
This has left customers as well as the sellers struggling. Most of the vegetables are being sold between `60-`80 per kg in the retail markets, with lemon prices ranging between an unbelievable `300-`350 per kg.Vegetable sellers say they are facing the double whammy of shrinking profits and reduced sales. The increased transportation cost and the resultant hike in buying prices for vendors themselves has resulted in low margins for them or limited sales due to the fact that they are forced to pass on the hike to the customers. Raunak , a vegetable vendor in Saket said: "Tomatoes are now being sold for `40 per kg whereas earlier, the price was between `25-`30.
Bottle gourd is now being sold for `40 per kg. Even the price of potatoes has gone up. It is now sold at `25 per kg from the `10 earlier."The prices of most of vegetables have gone up. We hardly make any profit. We buy vegetables paying a fixed price from market. Another problem is that we do not get to choose vegetables at the mandis. We are given a fixed slot and some times, inferior quality vegetables get mixed up. With the prices going up, people have also reduced the quantity of vegetables they buy," he said. Raju another vendor in Yamuna Vihar, said the prices of fruits, too, have gone up. "It is the summer season and watermelons are always in demand.
Earlier, we used to sell it for `20-`25 but now, it is being sold for `30. We get watermelons for `27 from mandis, so we hardly make any profit," he said. Some vendors said they have stopped giving coriander leaves and green chilies to customers for free. "We no longer give green chilies to customers for free. Lemon is available in the market for `350 per kg, which means you would not even get one for `10. Capsicum is `100 per kg.Then customers bargain.
They know that the prices have gone up, but still they ask for chilies for free," Akhilesh said. Deepak, a vegetable seller at Sector 6 in Noida, also echoed similar views and pointed out that the rates have gone up at the vegetable markets due to the fuel price hike, coupled with damage to crops in Gujarat due to a cyclone.
"The rates of lemons are soaring because of a natural calamity in Gujarat, while other vegetables that come from different States have become costlier due to the high transportation cost," he said.
Anokhey Lal, a vegetable trader in Laxmi Nagar said prices of staple vegetables like onion and tomato have also gone up. "Tomato prices range between `40-`45 per kg while earlier it used to be sold for around `30-35 per kg. Similarly, onion prices have also been hiked and now, it is around `40 per kg. It used to be sold for around `30-35 per kg earlier," he said. (With inputs from PTI)