Vegetable prices triple as rains affect supply

Sources said that tomato that was sold at Rs 80 per kg in the past two days hit an unprecedented rate of Rs 110 in the retail market while it was sold at Rs 90 to 100 at the main Gandhi Market. Shallots sold at Rs 100 and onion at Rs 80.

According to traders in Gandhi Market here, they use to receive at least 200 tonnes of tomatoes during the peak season every day. But it has shrunk to just 50 tonnes when the monsoon commenced. ‘This has impacted the price and we are losing business from regular retailers who pick up loads from us,” said Kaleeswaran, a wholesale trader from Gandhi Market.

He said that the supply from local farmers had stopped due to heavy rains in the past couple of days and so we had to make arrangements to bring in the vegetable from other states. This was also one of the reasons for the increase of price in terms of tomato. Similarly, vegetables like carrot, which sold at Rs 60 per kg last week, hit Rs 100 on Tuesday while the price of other vegetables like cabbage, brinjal and beans too almost doubled.