Ludhiana: Vegetable prices soar, peas selling at ₹100/kg in wholesale market

Traders blame supply disruptions, particularly lower arrivals from Himachal Pradesh, for the price surge

A steep rise in wholesale vegetable prices has hit Ludhiana markets, with peas nearly doubling in price and cauliflower and onions also becoming considerably costlier over the past week, leaving households to stretch their grocery budgets further.

The wholesale vegetable market in Ludhiana. (HT photo)

At Ludhiana’s wholesale vegetable market, peas have seen the steepest rise, with prices climbing from ₹50-60 per kg barely a week ago to around ₹100 per kg. Cauliflower prices have risen from ₹20-25 per kg to around ₹60 per kg, while onions have increased from ₹20-25 per kg to ₹40-45 per kg.

Gurvinder Singh, a wholesale onion trader at Sabzi Mandi, said onion prices had increased by around ₹15 per kg in the past 10 days. “Onions that were selling for ₹20-25 per kg are now being sold at ₹40-45 per kg,” he said.

Traders attributed the sudden rise largely to supply disruptions caused by the monsoon, particularly affecting vegetable arrivals from Himachal Pradesh. They said any increase at the wholesale level is eventually reflected in retail prices, putting additional pressure on consumers.

For homemakers, the impact is being felt directly in monthly household budgets.

“Earlier, I could manage my monthly vegetable budget without making many changes. Now, I have to think twice before buying peas or cauliflower, and even regular items like onions are costing more. When sugar and vegetables both become expensive, the entire household budget gets disturbed,” said Sanchita Jain, a city resident.

Another homemaker, Kamaljit Kaur, said repeated price increases were forcing families to cut back on other expenses.

“The problem is that vegetables are not something we can simply stop buying. We need them every day. If the monthly grocery budget goes up by even ₹1,000-1,500, we have to compensate by reducing spending on other things. Inflation is slowly eating into our household savings,” she said.