Despite arrival of fresh lot of vegetables in the market its reach to common consumers’ kitchen has not improved. Expect few vegetables like potato, onion, tomatoes, cauliflower and cabbage all are above Rs 40 per kg. Especially peas, red carrots, and capsicum are becoming out of the reach of low income groups as per kg rates are hovering around Rs 50-Rs 60.
According to vegetable vendors hoarding and arbitrary conduct of middlemen are the major reason behind the stubborn prices. A vegetable vendor at Nagababa Khatal Raju Kumar said, “The price hike is because of black marketing and middlemen are making the real profit. We are left with marginal profit.” Echoing him, another vendor said that the vegetables are purchased at high price from the middlemen and are being sold at a profit of Rs 2 — three in the market. If the scenario continues then there are changes of further rise in the price of vegetables.
looking at the vegetable prices rising trend members of Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) have also urged the Government to look into the matter seriously and take some concrete step in this direction of putting brakes on the wrong practices on middlemen. FJCCI President Bikash Singh said, “Soaring prices of vegetables is one of the burning problem of the state capital as low income class people are getting affected the most. Our Federation is taking keen interest in finding a solution for it and is hopeful that soon will find a midway solution.” Meanwhile the state capital resident’s especially middle class people are distressed with the soaring prices as it is becoming difficult to manage the house. A housewife Shruti Bhagat said, “Earlier in the name of cyclone Phailin the prices of vegetables kept soaring and people were given assurance that once the new stock arrives in the market the prices will go down but the scenario continues to be the same. The need of the hour is to look into the matter seriously as we are getting affected the most.”