Rising prices of essential commodities have not been big news in Kerala for the past two years but even wholesalers and retailers in the main vegetable markets of the State now say that the soaring prices are defying all trade logic.
Onions were selling at Rs 70 a kilo and green chilies at Rs 125 at the Sakthan Thampuran market, the main vegetable market in Thrissur district, on Wednesday. This marked a rise in price by Rs 30 and Rs 75 a kilo respectively for onion and green chilies in a week, according to wholesalers. The prices could be higher at retail shops in the rural areas, they said.
“Everything is costlier compared to last week. My weekly vegetable kit has become 60 per cent costlier and that too in the middle of the month,” said Rukmini Devi, a silk shop saleswoman drawing Rs 8,000 a month. “I paid Rs 450 just now for vegetables for a week. Can people like me afford to spend Rs 1,800 a month on vegetables aloneIJ” she asked, almost to herself.
Wholesaler Devassy at the Sakthan Thampuran market said he was unable to find the exact reason for such a sudden spurt in the prices of vegetables. “One reason is a drop in the volume of arrival from Tamil Nadu markets (Kerala’s sourcing centres for almost all essential commodities). But that is not all. There is something else,” he added.
Traders at the Ernakulam market, the vegetable market of Kochi, indicated that the price of onions could climb further to Rs 80 or more in a day or two. A wholesaler said there was no hoarding in the Kerala market but the traders in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka could be doing it in the context of the spurt in the prices in markets of North India.
The price of beans saw a rise by Rs 20 a kilo from Rs 40 within a week while that of long beans went up by Rs 10 a kilo. Shallots were selling on Wednesday at Rs 65 a kilo while the price was Rs 45 just a week ago. The rise in the prices of other produces like tomatoes, yams, raw banana, etc showed a similar trend.
“One can understand the reason for the rise in onion prices. But the price spurt in other items is illogical. Indeed, the rains have caused some problems but it should have been worse a week ago. I think there is a trend among agents to simply quote higher prices and the Government obviously has no time to worry about such things,” said a trader in Thrissur.