Vegetables seem to be the latest casualty of the biting winter chill. The dipping mercury and extreme cold wave has hit consumers hard as prices of vegetables have once again gone through the roof this winter. While foggy conditions have hampered the movement of trucks ferrying greens, the weather too has affected the growth of vegetables in fields.
The escalating prices of vegetables have furthered kitchen expenses. The prices of vegetables have nearly doubled in the past one week. Vegetables, especially potatoes and onion, have witnessed a hike in rates in December. While the prices of potatoes have increased from Rs15 per kilo to Rs35 per kilo, tomato prices have gone up to from Rs17 per kilo to Rs30 per kilo. In retail stores, the tomatoes are being sold at Rs35 per kilo. local wholesalers blame limited transportation of carriers and trucks to rising vegetable prices. “What took us a day to get the vegetables now takes two days. In Uttar Pradesh, the plummeting mercury has made truck movement difficult and now shopkeepers at sabzi mandis are facing a produce crunch,” said Rajat, a wholesale vegetable seller in Okhla.
“The rates have shot up in the past one week. I bought cauliflower for Rs15 per kilo a fortnight ago, but now it is being sold for Rs40 per kilo,” said Babit, a resident of Kailash Colony. The prices however, vary in wholesale markets and retail shops. Grocers in upscale areas like Greater Kailash are selling greens at shockingly high rates. Citing depleting stock, Raju, a shopkeeper, said, “Tomatoes are being sold at Rs45 per kilo because of stock deficit.” “The dipping mercury has just made it impossible for us to go out and buy groceries. We are hoping prices will stabilise once the temperature rises,” said Savita Devi, a resident of Kalkaji. The prices, however, are somewhat stable in the wholesale market. Onions are available for Rs27 per kilo; tomatoes are being sold for Rs30 per kilo.