Banana prices skyrocket in Bengaluru; Here's why

If bananas are a staple for you, prepare for bad news because prices have spiked in Bengaluru - to ₹100 a kilogram, with the Yelakki type of banana being the most expensive.

Bananas are the new tomatoes in Karnataka capital Bengaluru, costing up to ₹90 per kg in retail markets. This is reportedly because there is a supply crunch in the market after several farmers gave up on their crops as they had earned very low prices over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bananas are costing a fortune in Karnataka capital Bengaluru. (Pixabay)

According to the Krishi Marata Vahini, the state-run online agricultural marketing information system, rates for various types of bananas, as of June 20 and 21 are listed below in the table.

Market prices for bananas in various districts of Karnataka as of June 20 and 21.

The yelakki type of banana in Bengaluru costs around ₹65 per kg in wholesale markets, while the same costs up to ₹90 per kg in retail markets, including HOPCOMS.

However, other types of bananas had more economical prices. The robusta variety is said to be priced between ₹20 and ₹23 per kg, while the nendra variety was ₹55 to ₹60 a kg, and the chandra type cost ₹40 to Rs. 45.

Read: How the rising temperature is making your tomatoes costlier

The supply crunch in the crop is expected to continue at least until the next year as a fresh round of cultivation is only set to begin at around that time.

Recently, Bengaluru was one of the metropolitan cities where tomatoes were the costliest as there is a short supply after the scorching summer heat caused a major drop in yield. Tomatoes in Bengaluru cost a staggering ₹95 per kilogram, which is higher than that in nearly all other metro cities.