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Ludhiana: Sharp hike in vegetable prices taking toll on household budgets
With residents already facing the heat of rising inflation, the sharp hike in vegetable prices in Ludhiana due to unseasonal rainfall is taking a further toll on household budgets amid the festive season
With residents already facing the heat of rising inflation, the sharp hike in vegetable prices due to unseasonal rainfall is taking a further toll on household budgets amid the festive season.
Prices of vegetables including fresh peas, cauliflower, bell pepper, lemon and tomato have soared in the recent days. Peas topped the charts with wholesale price of over ₹200 and retail price of over ₹250. Traders at the wholesale market said unseasonal rain in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh has led to a delay in harvesting of new crops and acute shortage of supply.
Onion and potatoes, a staple in most kitchens, have seen less price fluctuation and remained stable at around ₹30 in retail markets as there are no supply issues.
“Due to delay in harvesting, the fresh batch of peas will arrive at markets after November, and is only available currently with limited vendors,” said Amarvir Singh, president of the Punjab State Fruit and Vegetable Commission Agents Association. “Coriander, which was available for ₹100 per kg a few days back, is now being sold for ₹400. On Saturday, the going price was ₹700,” he added.
Packed frozen peas are available at retail stores for ₹50 to ₹60 for 250 gm.
Vegetable price hike leaves customers short of choices
Hike in vegetable prices has left customers with no choice but to curtail purchases.” I came to the market to buy peas and cauliflowers, but changed my mind as the prices are shooting through the roof. Earlier, I used to buy 1 kg bell pepper, but now, but I am buying only a half a kg as I need to keep the household budget in check,” said Vandana Mehta, a resident of Civil Lines.
Customers said that the price hike is forcing them to shift to pulses for more days in a week. “As the festive season has started, children ask for a variety of dishes for the dinner, but we will have to balance it out as per the budget,” said Meena Sharma, a resident of Model Town.
“As vendors who sell vegetables on streets are not selling peas, cauliflower and bell pepper due to high prices, people are coming to stores to buy from us. As wholesale prices are already high, we also need to cover our expenses including rent and transportation, which is eating into profits,” said Gurmeet Singh, owner of Jaggi Vegetable Store on Civil Lines.
“Middle-class and salaried people have become more selective with their purchases and the people in the lower classes have been worst affected,” he added.
Small vendors record low sales
Several small vegetable vendors and street hawkers have also reported a dip in sales. Sonu, a native of Sitamarhi in Bihar, who has been selling vegetables in Sarabha Nagar area for the past seven years, said, “There have been days when I have earned ₹1,500 per day, but these days, I hardly earn ₹500.”
“Earlier, I used to sell around 50kg vegetables in total per day, but it has now dropped to 15kg. I cannot afford to store them for more than two days, so I am forced to sell sometimes without profit,” said Vijay, a vendor in Model Town.
Traders are expecting prices to go back to normal within a month as the supply will improve. “After it rains, prices stay high for a few weeks. It will hopefully settle down within a month,” said Balwinder Singh, a trader at the vegetable market.
